Garden of Shadows: Changing View Points
by Kyandi-Akatensei
Summary: What if Chrollo had succeeded in bringing his sister to him. What if he had been the one to raise her, how would Sinthe's view points on life change? An alternate time line for my story Garden of Shadows. Inspiration for creating this alternate time line is credited to my lovely reader, Pri-Chan 1410
1. Old Memories

_**Summary:**_ What if Chrollo had succeeded in bringing his sister to him. What if he had been the one to raise her, how would Sinthe's view points on life change? An alternate time line for my story Garden of Shadows.

Author's Note: Greetings all my lovelies! This story is an alternate time line that shows the events of Hunter X Hunter from the eyes of my OC, Absinthe Joelle, if her brother, Chrollo, had managed to bring her to live with him. A bit of a warning, because of the difference in her upbringing, some things, like small parts of her personality, will change, but her love interest will remain the same. So everyone, please enjoy and review. I love praise, constructive criticism is welcome, but please do not flame me. Please and thank you! I do not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 1 Old Memories

 _The night was cool, a breeze bellowing in from the open deck door to roll over her body. She had long ago pulled her blanket up around her ears, snuggling under the cover she remembered having as a child. To her, the same smells were still effused in the feather down blanket._

 _Absinthe Joelle, preferably known as Sinthe, had missed her home. At the age of twelve, she had just returned home after being abandoned in the dumping town known as Meteor City. Six years worth of fighting, running, and searching...that was what she had to go through, just to make it back to her mountain top village where her clan resided._

 _Upon returning, her mother had welcomed her with open arms, gifting her with a scarf of many colors and brightly chiming bells, that she had spent six years working on. Sinthe had fallen into her mother's arms, so grateful to find that, despite being pressured to abandon her, her mother still loved her. They had planned to leave together come the next dawn._

 _And thus, Sinthe was now snuggled into the same bed she had had when she was smaller, surrounded by the blankets and pillows that her mother had hand sewn for her, the crisp, mountain air spilling in from her deck door. After so many years of looking over her shoulder, of continuing to walk and trek through rain, sleet, and snow despite how bone tired and sore she was, Sinthe was so tired that, when she laid her head on her pillow, she became dead to the world, not noticing a single thing about the house around her._

 _So when she was suddenly dragged from her sleep, her senses were groggy as she pushed herself up in bed, her dazed eyes looking around the dark room. She saw the dark figure striding across her room from her deck door, moments before her mind finally registered it. Sinthe went scrambling from her bed, trying to get to her feet, to fight, but her feet got tangled in the blankets and she went down. He reached her before she could get to her feet, quickly grabbing her and covering her mouth and nose with a cloth._

 _Sinthe figured out what it was just before she lost consciousness, and let out a scream._

 _Hoping and praying that her mother had heard her, Sinthe went limp._

 _When next she awoke, she could hear voices speaking and found herself nestled in the middle of a bed that was far too big to be her own. Groaning at the grogginess that still blanketed her mind, Sinthe sat up, looking around the dark room. There was nothing to tell her where she was; nothing on the walls, no windows to look out of, nothing._

 _Tossing back the covers, Sinthe pushed herself up, swinging her legs off the bed. For a moment the room swung out of focus, making her press a hand to her head, fighting to focus once more. When all it did was have her scrambling to find a trashcan, knocking into a night stand with a lamp on it, she groaned._

 _She found a trashcan, bending over it as her stomach decided to empty itself. Distantly, she heard the door open, the lights in the room flipping on as the voices she had first heard upon waking, got louder. Whoever it was, was entering the room._

 _"I told you he shouldn't have used that drug. She's sick as a dog now." came a female voice she didn't recognize._

 _If she wasn't busy throwing up, she might have jumped away from the presence that was suddenly kneeling at her side. Gentle hands reached out, sweeping her hair back so that it wasn't in the line of fire any longer. Another person dropped into a crouch on her other side, a hand coming to her back to rub it softly._

 _"Given her training, it was possibly the only thing that would work on her. Joelles are known for their training in building up immunity to most poisons and toxins. It had to be a strong drug to knock her out." came another voice._

 _This one was male, the statements made in a what-can-you-do kind of tone. Sinthe was liking her situation less and less by the second. More so, since she hated throwing up. Everyone did, of course, but Sinthe did especially because it made her want to cry for many reasons. The first and foremost being that it left her in a weakened state. How was she suppose to defend herself when she was weak kneed from having just puked up all of her energy supply? The second being that, in the last six years where food was rare, it had become a precious commodity. To throw it up, was such a waste...a waste she couldn't afford to make._

 _She didn't think she had to add in the fact that it was hard to breathe between gagging and puking._

 _When her stomach was finally empty, all she could do was remain over the trash can, trying to even her breathing, a bad taste in her mouth. She heard a man, the one who had been rubbing her back, order someone to bring a bottle of water. Next thing she knew, there was an ice cold bottle of water being held in front of her. She wanted to take it, really she did, but her training told her she'd be a fool to. Sinthe shook her head when the water as pressed closer to her._

 _"Come on now, Absinthe. After all of that, you need something to drink. It's not poisoned." the man told her._

 _Like she was really going to believe that after it had pretty much been guaranteed that they were the ones responsible for the man who had come into her room. Her mother would have a fit if she could see her now..._

 _Her mother!_

 _"Mother...where's my mother?" Sinthe demanded._

 _There was a pause, and then the water bottle retreated. Sinthe turned her head, looking up at the man who had offered it. He was young, black haired with dark eyes. She felt like she had seen him somewhere before, almost as if it was in a dream. There was even a St. Peter's cross on his forehead. In a true display of her twelve year old self, she had the sudden urge to poke the cross, but was able to contain herself._

 _"Absinthe, do you know who I am?" he asked._

 _Sinthe shook her head, though she didn't see what that had to do with the question she asked. She simply wanted to know where her mother was. Better yet, where was she?_

 _"My name is Chrollo Lucilfer. Let me ask you a question. Do you know your father?" he asked._

 _Sinthe shook her head again. Her mother had told her very little about her father. Only that he had been incredibly charming and that Sinthe had gained only two physical traits from him; her nose and the four point star birthmark on her back._

 _"Do you know anything about him?" the man, Chrollo asked._

 _"Only that my mother said he was charming and that I have two physical traits of his." Sinthe replied._

 _She couldn't help replying. She didn't sense any hostility from him or any of the other people she could feel in the room and at the door. And she definitely couldn't see any ill intent in his eyes. He honestly didn't mean her any harm despite the method he had used to get her there. She watched as he nodded, a small smile curling his lips._

 _"That's right. Your nose, for one. It's very much like his. And you have a birthmark like him, too, right? A four point star on your back?"_

 _One blink, then two. Sinthe stared at him, her muddled brain taking a moment to process the fact that he knew about her birthmark. Once she had, she found herself to be stumped. How did he know of such a thing? Only one person had ever seen the mark and that was her mother. Sinthe had always been pretty careful about keeping identifying marks, like her eyes and her birthmark, and even the brand of her clan's symbol on her stomach, hidden._

 _But this couldn't be just some lucky guess, either. He was perfectly aware of the mark's existence. Almost as if he had seen it himself._

 _"How do you know about that?" she asked._

 _"Because, Absinthe, you're father...is my father."_

 _Sinthe really wanted to call him a liar, she honestly did, but she could see no lie in his eyes. She tried to bite her tongue on her next comment, but it came tumbling out of her mouth before she could shut her lips on it._

 _"Are you drunk?"_

 _She heard a few laughs behind her, but didn't bother turning to look at the others. Chrollo didn't seem upset with the remark. In fact, he actually appeared amused._

 _"No, I'm not." he told her._

 _"High? Delusional? Off your rocker?"_

 _To each one, Chrollo shook his head. This put a frown on her face as she eased herself back to sit on her butt,, a leg tucked to either side of herself. Her head tilted to one side, her ridiculously long, salmon pink hair, shifting to fall over one super thin shoulder. Her mismatched eyes, one of melted gold and the other of a powder blue-purple, searched his face intently, one eyebrow rocketing up._

 _"You're serious." she stated finally._

 _"I am. I will even prove it, if you wish. A DNA test would not be a problem." he told her._

 _"Obviously I'll insist on proof. I'm a Joelle, after all. We don't trust easily...if ever." Sinthe replied._

 _"Understandably."_

 _"You were the one that sent that man after me...why?" Sinthe asked._

 _"To bring you to me. I had attempted to come and get you myself...six years ago. But you were gone." Chrollo told her._

 _Six years ago...that would have been about the time her mother had dropped her off in Meteor City._

 _"I spent a little time in the world outside my village." Sinthe replied, in a guarded manner._

 _"Your mother abandoned you."_

 _Sinthe twisted, turning to look up at a young man with a pleasant enough smile on his face. One hand was propped on his hip as he looked down at her. Sinthe's mouth twisted slightly at his words._

 _"My mother did what she had to. My grandfather gave her a choice. It was either abandon me or he would kill me. She knew I could fend for myself." Sinthe retorted._

 _"Shalnark, don't upset her." Chrollo told the man._

 _The man, Shalnark, with his pleasant smile, simply shrugged his shoulders. Sinthe frowned at the man, setting her unsettling, mismatched gaze on him as he retreated to the doorway._

 _"Absinthe."_

 _Sinthe's head turned back towards Chrollo, the frown still in place._

 _"Don't call me that. I prefer Sinthe." she told him._

 _"You're name is perfectly beautiful the way it is. It is, after all, a reference to the wormwood plant, Artemisia Absinthium and Artemisia is another name for an ancient goddess, Artemis, who was a goddess of hunt. Fitting for someone of the Joelle blood." Chrollo replied._

 _"You're wrong. My mother named me Absinthe after the alcoholic drink she favored on special days. It's not exactly the most flattering of references. I prefer Sinthe."_

 _Chrollo smiled as he looked at her. What he did next had her hanging her head as she heaved a sigh._

 _"Absinthe."_

 _"Ugh...you're incorrigible, aren't you?" Sinthe demanded._

 _"I merely believe you should make use of a beautiful name."_

 _Sinthe stared at him. Out of all of the thoughts that ran through her head, only one came through clear as day. This guy was really weird. And just her luck, too. If he was telling the truth and he really was her brother, than it was just her luck that she would end up with a strange guy as her brother._

 _"I give up, I'm done." Sinthe flopped back onto her back. "I don't feel good, my head is still spinning, and the day seems to just get weirder and weirder."_

 _There were more chuckles, but Sinthe didn't pay them attention. It was a lot to take in for a twelve year old who had just been drugged and taken to gods only knew where._

 _"You didn't answer my question. Why did you want him to bring me here?" Sinthe asked._

 _"We're family. You deserve to live with family who care, somewhere where every stare directed your way, isn't a death glare." Chrollo replied._

 _Sinthe pushed herself up, looking at him once more. Was he trying to imply that he wanted to take care of her? To give her a home and somewhere to belong? Somewhere where she wouldn't constantly be scrambling around trying to find food?_

 _"My mother and I were planning to leave in the morning, to find somewhere away from my clan to live together, in peace. And with that comment, I return to my original question...where is my mother?" Sinthe asked._

 _Chrollo's eyes closed for a moment, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to tell her what he needed to tell her. Sinthe waited patiently, though a bad feeling had begun to settle in the pti of her stomach. Then his eyes opened and he uttered two sentences that changed her life, and her view points on life, for the rest of her life._

 _"I'm sorry, she's dead. She was killed by one of your clan mates."_

-0-0-0-0-

Sinthe awoke from the dream with a jolt.

It was the same dream, the same memory, playing over in her head. It had been the same way for the last five years. Now and then, in her dreams, she would relive the memory of the day her brother, Chrollo, had saved her from a nasty plan set in motion by her clan mates and had brought her to live with him. It was just a thing she had to live with.

Pushing herself up in bed, Sinthe ran a hand through her tangle mess of salmon pink hair. It was getting ridiculously thick again and would probably need another cut. She would have to see if she could get Pakunoda to cut it for her. Glancing around the airy, brightly lit room that she claimed at her own, Sinthe realized she had over slept. It was now far past her usual wake up time.

"He probably thinks I'm in a coma by now." Sinthe remarked with a smile as she tossed her blanket aside.

Hopping out of bed, Sinthe crossed the room to the closet. Grabbing clothes, she went to shower. A quick shower and then she would go find him. She ended up doing a little dance in the cold water until it heated up and made her shower quick, snatching up a towel on a hook when she finished and stepped out of the shower. Standing before the floor to ceiling mirror, she toweled herself dry, stopping briefly to peer at the two marks on her stomach. To the left side of her belly button, was the brand of her clan: a circle with two hearts, one upside down and one right side up with the two lines and dot of the character for "shi" in the center. To the right of her belly button, was the single tattoo she had.

A twelve legged spider.

It was much like those of every member of her brother's gang, the Phantom Troupe. There was only one difference between hers and their's. Where their tattoos had a number in the center of the spider's back, her merely had a heart. The reason being because her friends among the Troupe, referred to her as the Spider's Heart. Some even joked that she was a bleeding heart at that.

Chrollo didn't seem to mind.

Dressing quickly, Sinthe left her room as she finger combed her hair. Since the day her brother had taken her in after her mother's death, Sinthe had lived beside him and did everything with him. Training, fighting, stealing...there was only one thing she wouldn't do, only one thing that Chrollo never asked of her; killing.

Unlike the official members of the Troupe, Sinthe had never killed a single person in her life. She was uncomfortable with the mere thought of killing someone and Chrollo never wished to upset her. The point, though, was that she normally did everything with her brother. He was even the one who helped her to develop her two nen abilities; Garden of Shadows and Siren's Song. Since both of them were Specialists, a rare thing for two siblings, he knew exactly what to do to help her.

Though he rarely had need of her using either and truth be told, Sinthe was pretty sure that her ability to read others by looking them in the eye, had to be a third nen ability. No one could easily read another person's thoughts by looking them in the eye. Sinthe could read their thoughts and feelings with one simple glance. She was sure it was another ability and had dubbed it, Ghost Eyes.

That ability got more use than Garden of Shadows or Siren's Song put together.

It was handy for sniffing out liars.

Bounding down the stairs to the first floor of the house, Sinthe opened the door to the kitchen/dining room. Where she had expected to find her brother, she found him with Shalnark and Pakunoda.

"Oh! Hey Shal, Paku. I didn't expect you two to be here." Sinthe greeted, as she approached the table.

The two smiled at her as Sinthe bent to greet her brother with a chaste kiss on the temple. Chrollo reached up, patting her head.

"It's been a while, Sin. What have you been up to?" Shalnark asked.

While Chrollo had insisted, from day one, on calling her Absinthe, most of the Troupe members simply referred to her as Sin or Sinthe. Something she was grateful for. She wasn't all too fond of the name Absinthe.

"Oh, the same as always." Sinthe replied moving on past them to the kitchen area.

"So causing trouble, huh."

Sinthe turned and stuck her tongue out at Shalnark who chuckled in reply to the childish display. Sinthe turned back to the fridge, opening it to peer inside at her choices for breakfast.

"What are you two doing there?" Sinthe asked. "Have you ate yet? I can make us all something."

"That sounds wonderful." Pakunoda told her, getting a smile from Sinthe.

If truth was to be told, Sinthe was well aware that she was a bit on the spoiled side. While most of the world feared the members of the Phantom Troupe, Sinthe simply knew them as family and as the sort-of princess of the Troupe, they doted on her. Especially her brother.

After years of practice cooking for the members of the Troupe, it didn't take her long to whip up something, setting the plates out before the three before she took a seat between Chrollo and Pakunoda.

"So, you never answered me. What are you two doing here?" Sinthe asked.

"Still as direct as always, huh?" Shalnark asked.

"She knows what she wants." Chrollo replied, amused.

"Right, and right now, I want to know the answer to my question." Sinthe said in agreement.

The three smiled before Chrollo turned to his food, answering her question for her.

"They were informing me that Hisoka is going to take the Hunter exam this year." he told her.

"Hunter exam?" Sinthe asked, before turning her eyes to Shalnark. "Hey, Shal, you have a Hunter's license, too, don't you?"

"Yeah. It's actually pretty handy." Shalnark replied.

Sinthe thought this over for a moment, tapping the end of her fork against her lips. Finally her eyes turned towards her brother.

"Chrollo, what would you think about me getting a license?" she asked.

Chrollo turned his eyes towards her, taking in her expression. She seemed serious enough to him. She was honestly interested in taking the exam. It didn't hurt having another member among them that could access information and places that only Hunters could.

"I believe it would be simple for someone like you, Absinthe. If you truly wish to take the exam, I can arrange for you to go with Hisoka." he told her.

Sinthe's face lit up with a smile. Not that she really expected him to deny her. As long as it was within reason, Chrollo didn't deny her a thing. It could easily go to her head if she let it. That being said, she didn't let it go to her head. While they were more than content to spoil her senseless, Sinthe knew she still needed to retain her sense of independence in the group. She still needed to take care of herself.

A little difficult when Chrollo wanted to do everything for her.

"Thanks. Before that, though," Sinthe turned her eyes to Pakunoda. "Paku, could you cut my hair again? It's getting a little too thick again."

Pakunoda reached out to stroke her head, giving her a smile. She pulled out a few strands, looking them over.

"Of course. Would you like to try a shorter look this time" Pakunoda asked.

"No. I like the longer hair. It's just too thick for me right now." Sinthe replied.

"I like the longer hair, too." Chrollo spoke up.

"Of course you do. You like anything I like, Brother."

Chrollo smiled lightly at his sister as she wrinkled her nose at him. He turned his eyes to Pakunoda and Shalnark then, giving them their orders.

"Pakunoda, you can go ahead and help Absinthe, if you want. Shalnark, get in touch with Hisoka." Chrollo ordered.

The two nodded. Finishing their food, Pakunoda and Sinthe retreated to Sinthe's room. Once they were gone, Shalnark turned to Chrollo.

"You're really going to trust Hisoka enough to send Sin with him?" Shalnark asked.

"Absinthe, despite still being young, is strong and more than capable of taking care of herself. You've seen her grow and develop her abilities over the years. Even with Hisoka, I do not worry. If he means her any harm, she will know upon first glance." Chrollo replied, fully confident in his sister's power.

"You're right about that. Her ability to read others always manages to work out for her. It's impossible to lie to her." Shalnark said, with a grin.

With that said, Shalnark pulled out his cellphone and dialed Hisoka's number. Hisoka answered on the second ring and Shalnark passed on the message that Chrollo wanted to see him. Of course, Chrollo didn't like the idea of bringing Hisoka to the house where Sinthe spent most of her time. Instead, he had Shalnark tell him to meet them elsewhere. Hisoka assured Shalnark that he could be there before the day was out, but that it had to be quick so he could get back in time for the Hunter exam.

Shalnark was just hanging up when Sinthe and Pakunoda returned. There was no noticeable difference in Sinthe's hair, but as her brother(one that actually paid close attention) Chrollo could tell that it looked thinner, and a little shorter.

"Were you just talking to Hisoka?" Sinthe asked.

"He was. Go get your things ready, Absinthe. We're going to meet Hisoka." Chrollo told her.

Sinthe's face broke out into a smile. She didn't leave Meteor City much. Of course, she did when Chrollo did...most of the time, but there were times when he would leave her behind. After all, Meteor City was their home and it was about the safest place for her most of the time.

Not to mention that there were jobs that Chrollo didn't like taking her on.

One such job had been the slaughter of the Kuruta clan and the collection of their Scarlet Eyes, which the Phantom Troupe later sold. Since Sinthe was against killing and really hated the practice of collecting and selling parts of human beings, Chrollo had thought it better not to tell her what they were doing on their job. She had found out later on, of course, and she hadn't been pleased with him. It had taken Chrollo two months to get her to talk to him again.

Excusing herself, Sinthe vanished back off to her bedroom. The three watched her go before Pakunoda turned to Chrollo.

"Where are you meeting Hisoka?" Pakunoda asked.

"It's an abandoned cafe in a city about four hours from here." Shalnark told her.

"Are you going to go alone?" Pakunoda asked.

"No. Shalnark will go with us." Chrollo replied.

Whether Pakunoda thought the whole thing was an good idea or not, she didn't say anything. They all worried about Sinthe. To all of them, she was like a little sister. Admittedly, a few of them probably treated her more like a child than they should, despite the fact that she was seventeen and had all the skill and abilities of a pro Hunter. If Sinthe noticed and cared, she didn't say anything.

A few moments later, Sinthe came back into the room, now carrying a bag slung over one shoulder and the multi colored scarf that her mother had made for her. It was the single thing she had left of her mother and she always wore it when she left Meteor City.

"Ready." she declared.

Smiling to himself, Chrollo got to his feet. Leaving Pakunoda behind, Shalnark joined them on their journey. Every time Sinthe left Meteor City, she remembered the first time she had ever been to the place. When she had been about five or six, her mother, after being forced to do so, had abandoned her in the city, leaving her to fend for herself. Since birth, when her grandfather, the head of the Joelle clan, had first seen her eyes with it's right eye of molten gold and it's left eye of powder blue-purple, she had been deemed a curse, demon possessed and her clan had tried many ways to be rid of her.

Finally, her grandfather had given her mother a choice. Either she could abandon Sinthe somewhere far away where it was unlikely for her to ever find her way back, or he would kill Sinthe. Her mother, trusting that Sinthe had enough training under her belt, had chosen the former. Sinthe remembered well the fear she had felt when she had awoken in the city. She had been scared, confused, and alone.

But in truth...she hadn't been alone.

For six months, she ran about Meteor City, trying to salvage whatever she would need to locate her way home. During that time, unknown to her until six years later, Chrollo had been helping her. Because she was so slippery and would vanish almost as soon as she was found, he lost track of her a lot, but when he would find her, he would help her. In a way, the way he helped, but backed off, had made her stronger, more independent. By the time she had returned to her village, her mother had been killed, and she had been brought back to Chrollo, Sinthe had learned to fend for herself.

Something she really needed if she was going to survive jobs with the Phantom Troupe.

But her thoughts were digressing.

The point was, every time she left Meteor City, she was reminded of the first time she had ventured beyond the city after her mother had abandoned her. She remembered the awe and the fear. The world was vast and she had not known where to go or where to start. Even now, after spending six years wandering the world, she still had not seen all that there was to see.

So, sitting in the back seat of the car that Shalnark had lifted from some poor unsuspecting couple, she was glued to the window, watching the scenery pass. Chrollo glanced into the rear view mirror, watching as she stared at the passing land. It always amused him to see how eager she was to take in all she possibly could.

Sinthe turned then, turning her eyes from her window to Shalnark, who was driving.

"Hey, Shalnark, tell me, how difficult was the exam when you took it?" Sinthe asked.

"Honestly, it was a little too easy. I don't think you'll have any difficulty." Shalnark told her.

"What kind of people were there?" Sinthe asked.

"All sorts. They come from all over the world. Some take the exam over and over again. There was one guy there, when I went that had taken the exam over twenty times." Shalnark told her.

"Really? That many? He must not be much of a fighter then. Even if you don't have physical strength, after that many times, you should be able to figure out how to get by." Sinthe remarked, thoughtfully.

"Just focus on yourself and don't let anyone try anything with you." Chrollo told her.

"You worry too much, my dear brother." Sinthe said, leaning forward until she was leaning between the front seats. She met Chrollo's eyes and smiled. "I can take care of myself. You raised me to be able to, after all."

She was sure that he didn't have to worry about her. While, yes, she hadn't known Hisoka as long as she had known some of the others, she wasn't really worried about him. He would be too preoccupied finding himself a worthy opponent to obsess over. It seemed about all he cared about. Which would work in her favor. If he was too busy doing that, then she wouldn't have to worry about him interfering with her during the exam.

She hoped, at least.

-0-0-0-0-

When they arrived at the cafe, Hisoka was already waiting. Sinthe took in her new surroundings while Chrollo and Shalnark greeted Hisoka. Hisoka grinned as he looked past them to where Sinthe was leaning over a crumbling counter top to see if there was anything that had been left behind in the shelves under the counter.

"It's rare to see you bring Sin to a meeting." Hisoka remarked to Chrollo.

"We are here to discuss something involving her." Shalnark replied.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Hisoka asked.

"I want to take the Hunter Exam this year."

All three turned towards Sinthe who had found a partially broken, miniature tea set under the counter. She was currently picking through the decorative teacups to find those that had escaped being broken. Finding two, she held them up, smiling at the swirling red designs on the sides.

"Interesting." Hisoka remarked. "And that has what to do with me?"

"I wanted to ask if you would take Absinthe with you since you are taking the Hunter Exam as well." Chrollo said.

Hisoka's eyes turned to Sinthe as she joined them, two small teacups in her hands. She gave him a smile, refusing to shift under his gaze as most people would do. He eyed her for a moment, as if considering the pros and cons of having her with him. Finally, he raised one shoulder in a shrug.

"I don't mind." he said finally.

Sinthe heaved a relieved sigh. She highly doubted that Chrollo would have been alright with her going if he couldn't send her with one of the Troupe members and that could have seriously hampered with her chances of going.

"Great! Can you take these home and put them on my dresser?" Sinthe asked, turning to her brother.

She handed him the teacups, making him raise them to look at them. She was always finding little things like those all over the place. He agreed, laying his free hand on top of her head before turning to look at Hisoka. The silent look he gave Hisoka was clear enough. He was warning Hisoka to keep an eye out for his sister even though Sinthe was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Hisoka grinned back at him, but he knew, at least where Sinthe was concerned, that it was best not to poke this bear.

Besides, Sinthe was just as capable of defending herself as her brother was. Having been raised by Chrollo, she had all his cleverness and sneakiness, just with a different set of nen abilities at her disposal. Abilities that were, in part, still a mystery to him. The only one he really knew about, one that could very well not be a nen ability, was her Ghost Eyes and that ability alone would be a challenge for him to overcome. So he wouldn't poke either of them just yet.

Yet.

Hisoka gave Chrollo the tiniest of nods.

With that agreement, Chrollo turned to his sister, ruffling her hair with affection. Sinthe playfully swatted his hand away, putting a smile on his face.

"Best of luck, Sin." Shalnark told her.

"Thanks."

Chrollo stooped, letting Sinthe place a kiss on his cheek before he and Shalnark turned to leave, Chrollo bidding his sister goodbye. Sinthe waved to the two. When they were gone, Hisoka turned towards her, grinning like a cat that caught the canary. He opened his mouth to say something but Sinthe held up a finger to stop him. She turned to him and gave him a pleasant enough smile.

"Any vulgar comments and I'll have Machi sew your mouth shut. Touch me in any way I deem questionable, and I'll personally snap your arm off. We good?" she asked.

Hisoka chuckled. He didn't take it in a bad way. In fact, he found it rather adorable and amusing because of the simple fact...she would do as she threatened. Or, at least try. It only made him like her more, not that she appreciated his advances.

"Understood." he told her.

"Good. Then let's get a move on."

Working with Sinthe would be an interesting experience, he had to admit. It would give him a close up look at how she operated. He was looking forward to it.

It was going to be an interesting exam.

END

Kyandi: Personally, I would be both scared and excited to work with Hisoka.

Sinthe: Why?

Kyandi: Well, for one, Hisoka's homicidal tendencies, scare the crap out of me.

Sinthe: Understandable.

Kyandi: For two...come on, who wouldn't want to work with a guy that's all about having a fun time?

Sinthe: The only issue with that, is that Hisoka's definition of "fun" is different than most people's.

Kyandi: Good point. That aside, this chapter was just a little..."teaser". I'll be putting up more chapters soon.

Sinthe: She's hoping to have this time line at least half way caught up with the other by New Year's.

Kyandi: Yep. So, everyone have a good holiday, enjoy, and review.

Sinthe: We will return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye


	2. Start of the Hunter Exam

Kyandi: Greetings all Kyandiacs!

Sinthe: We have returned with quite a few chapters done.

Kyandi: I'm working as fast as I can to catch this story line up with the other.

Sinthe: She really is.

Kyandi: For those of you who have read the other story line, if any of the material for the next couple chapters seems familiar...that's because it is.

Sinthe: But not all of it is the same, so please take the time to read it.

Kyandi: Yes, please! With that, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 2 Start of the Hunter Exam

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had set about the process of becoming Hunters, knowing full well that the odds of passing the first time around was low. Only one rookie every three years, was said to pass the exam and become a professional Hunter. Not that this stopped the three. From a violently tossed about ship, to a city with an impossible to answer quiz, to demon beasts, the trip to the testing site alone had been difficult, but they had passed without too much trouble on their behalf. Between the three, they had managed to keep each other a float. And now...now they stood in the underground space, crammed with potential Hunter candidates that had also made it this far.

Several different types of people milled around the room, waiting for the instructions on how to proceed from that point. The moment Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio walked into the room, every eye turned to them and then, just as quickly, turned away. No one really had any interest in rookies. That being said, the three friends could sense the difference in the people before them when compared to those they had met from the time they had boarded the ship.

"This place is rather dark. Looks like some kind of underground passageway." Kurapika remarked, looking around.

"I wonder how many people there are?" Gon asked.

"You guys would make it four hundred and five."

The three turned at the sound of the voice, locating a man sitting on a pipe a little off the floor. He looked nice enough, giving them a smile and a wave before he hopped down from his perch. A badge on his chest identified him as candidate number sixteen.

"I'm Tompa." he said, introducing himself.

Gon shook his head as a staff member came up to him and his friends to grace them with their own number badges. Four hundred and three for Leorio, four hundred and four for Kurapika, and four hundred and five for Gon.

"You're a bunch of new faces, right?" Tompa asked.

"How did you know that?" Gon asked.

"Of course I know! Since I was ten years old I've taken this exam thirty-five times." Tompa replied, as if he had some pride in failing the exam that many times.

"Thirty-five times!?" Gon repeated.

"I guess you could call me a veteran. If there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask me!" Tompa told them.

"Thank you. Then do you know everybody here?" Gon asked.

"Of course! Alright! Let me introduce you to everyone!" Tompa said, turning to see who he should point out first.

He pointed to a man nearby wearing a turban and with a sly look about this face. The man bore the badge number one hundred and three on his chest.

"Number one hundred and three, Barbon the Snake Tamer. He is extremely tenacious. It'll be a pain if you make him your enemy." Tompa told them, turning to the next person.

The next man was a stoic looking man with thick eyebrow and a tiny ponytail tied in the back of his dark hair. The badge on his chest bore the number seventy-six.

"Number seventy-six, Cherry the marital artist. He is unsurpassed when it comes to hand-to-hand combat." Tompa told them.

Next was candidate two fifty-five, a man known as Todo the Wrestler. After him was numbers one hundred ninety-seven to one hundred ninety-nine, a set of three brothers known for their combination play. And last, was candidate three hundred and eighty-four, Gereta the Hunter, who, as his name implied, was good with hunting all kinds of creatures.

"These are just about the ones who come every year. They're highly skilled, but barely miss the cut." Tompa told Gon.

A loud yell, drew their attention to where a man was on his knees, his arms from the elbow down, missing. In front of him stood a man dressed along the lines of a circus jester, his hair gelled back to stick straight out from the back of his head and a tear drop and star painted on his face. In some lights, he could be considered good looking, but the twisted smile and narrow eyes filled with a sadistic gleam, kind of ruined his looks.

"Oh my, how strange. Your arms have disappeared. You should be careful. Always apologize first if you bump into someone." the jester man said to the armless man before him.

"Ah crap...we got a dangerous one again this year." Tompa said lowly.

Gon looked up at him in questioning, before returning his eyes to the jester.

"Number forty-four, Hisoka the Magician. He would have passed last year, but he was disqualified for nearly killing an examiner who was getting on his nerves." Tompa informed Gon and his friends.

"And he was still able to come this year and openly take the exam!?" Leorio asked.

"Of course. The examiners of the Hunter Exam change every year. And the contents of the exams are decided by the examiners as well. If the examiner of that particular year says "pass"...even the devil could pass the Hunter Exam. Aside from the examiner, he also incapacitated twenty other examinees. It'll be best to stay away from him if you can." Tompa warned them.

"Hisoka, that's enough."

The soft voice drew their attention back to Hisoka as he turned to face the speaker. It was hard to tell if the speaker was male or female, for they were lost under the folds of a dark, crimson red cloak, their face hidden by a multi-colored hood that was tugged so far forward, none of them could even glimpse a small part of the face underneath. A badge stuck to the front of the cloak declared the person to be candidate number forty-three.

Hisoka turned to the person, his attention completely shifting from the now armless man on the ground.

"Leave him alone, Hisoka. We're here for another reason." the soft voice told Hisoka.

Everyone around them froze up, just waiting for Hisoka to attack this person for daring to tell him what to do. To their surprise, Hisoka chuckled and, with a smile on his face, walked over to the cloaked figure and took a seat next to him, letting the figure sit on the back of his shoulders while he begun to fiddle with a deck of cards. Without another word between them, the cloaked figure drew out a book to read while Hisoka simply messed with his cards.

Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon, now curious, turned towards Tompa. He knew most of everyone there, so maybe he would know the is cloaked figure too.

"Do you know who that is?" Kurapika asked.

"Never seen them before. A newbie, like yourself. I hate to think how dangerous he is if Hisoka listens to him. There are plenty others who are dangerous too, though. But I'll let you know ahead of time so don't worry."

"Okay!" Gon replied back, cheerfully.

"Oh, that's right." Tompa said suddenly, turning to dig in his bag, pulling out three cans. "Aren't you thirsty? Have some. Let's drink to everyone doing well."

Gon and his friends took the cans with a thanks in reply. Gon opened his and raised the can to his lips. He took a large swing...and instantly spit it all back out without swallowing a drop.

"Tompa-san, this juice must be old! It taste weird!" Gon declared.

"Really? That's strange..." Tompa replied, Gon not noticing the sheen of sweat that covered Tompa.

Unknown to Gon and his friends, Tompa had a reputation for being a rookie crusher and had spiked the drinks with a super strength laxative that would have them camping in the bathroom for the next three days. But the drug was suppose to have next to no taste or smell. For Gon to have picked it out meant that his sense of taste was strong. Trusting Gon on the matter, Kurapika and Leorio poured their juice out without taking a single sip.

"I don't know what to say!" Tompa said, bowing his head like he was asking for forgiveness.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. But it's a good thing I was the first to drink it. I've spent a lot of time in the mountains and I've eaten a lot of different plants so even if it tastes a little weird, I can tell right away." Gon told him.

Tompa was a little annoyed that he hadn't been able to feed them the laxative, but he played it off, acting like he was just relieved it had been caught. Kurapika glanced around at the other candidates. There was one guy, number two hundred and ninety-four, a man named Hanzo, who was a bald guy with an almost cheerful personality and who, from his proclamations, was a ninja. Another was a chubby, computer geek of a guy name Nichol who sat off to the side, typing away on his laptop.

A third guy stood out from the rest. He was tall, with a tuff of hair spiking out from the middle of his head, and needles poking out of several locations on his body from his chest to his neck and face. He even had one stuck in each ear. Another that caught his eyes was a boy about Gon's age with pale hair and carrying a skateboard. He looked almost bored with his surroundings.

A loud scream-like ring suddenly filled the space, drawing all attention to a man standing a good fifteen feet over their heads, on a pipe. He had a little head-shaped alarm and when he was sure he had their attention, he pushed the button on the forehead, silencing the thing.

"Now this concludes the registration. And we will commence the Hunter Exam." the man said, easily jumping from his perch. "Please, this way."

He started leading the way down the passageway, all the candidates following him. As he walked, he explained a few things to them.

"I will confirm one more time. The Hunter Exam is extremely difficult, so whether it is because of unfortunate luck or a lack of skills, you can get hurt or even die. And there have been numerous instances where examnees have been incapacitated by other examnees. But if this does not matter to you...please follow me." he told them.

He glanced back to see if anyone would fall back, giving up, but not a single person did.

"Understood. All four hundred and five applicants will participate in the first Hunter exam." he remarked.

Leorio looked around them as they followed the crowd.

"As expected, not even a single one's chickening out. I was kinda hoping for a few." Leorio remarked.

"That's weird." Kurapika said suddenly, making Leorio look at him in questioning.

Slowly, they found themselves speeding up, until, effortlessly, the examiner pulled ahead of them all. Everyone sped up, having to run to keep up with him.

"Hey, what the heck? Is it just me or is everyone starting to pick up their pace?" Leorio asked.

"The pace has quickened all of a sudden!" Kurapika confirmed.

"The people up front are even running!" Gon added.

Up in front the examiner continued on, his running stance similar to that of his walking stance.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Satotz, and I'm the exmaniner of the first exam. I will now escort you to the second exam site." the examiner called back.

"The second exam? Then what about the first?" Hanzo asked.

"It has already begun. To follow me to the second exam site...that is the first exam. I cannot disclose the destination, nor the duration. All you have to do is follow me." Satotz replied.

"I see..." Kurapika remarked.

"What a strange exam." Gon said.

"Is this a test of endurance? Alright then! I'll follow you wherever you go." Leorio said with a grin.

Just then, the young, pale haired boy with the skateboard, rode past them on his skateboard, his hands jammed into his pockets.

"Hey, kid! That's not fair! That's cheating! Hey!" Leorio yelled after him.

"How come?" the boy asked.

"Whaddya mean how come? Because this is a test of your endurance." Leorio told him.

"But you're wrong. The examiner just said to follow him." Gon piped in.

"Gon! Who's side are you on!?" Leorio demanded.

"Don't waste you stamina like that. You really should just shut up. As long as you don't cheat, this test allows you to use anything you want." Kurapika added in.

Leorio wasn't too pleased with this, though it wasn't like Kurapika cared if he was or not. Gon just continued his running, catching the attention of the skateboard boy.

"You. How old are you?" the boy asked.

"I just turned twelve!" Gon replied.

It surprised the other boy, to hear that Gon was the same age, and as if that was reason enough for him, he decided to run too, kicking his board up to catch it and fulling into step beside Gon.

"That was cool!" Gon told him.

"I'm Killua." the boy told him, introducing himself.

"I'm Gon!"

Killua turned to Leorio then and, calling with a term that refers to middle-aged men, he asked Leorio what his name was.

"I may look like this but I'm still in my teens, just like you guys!" Leorio replied.

Both Gon and Killua replied in surprise, looking Leorio up and down. With his frame, his suit, the side burns, and his over all appearance, he looked like he was in his thirties at least. Kurapika kept running, thinking to himself that it would be best to get away from them. Just then, the cloaked person he had noticed earlier, came up on Leorio, Killua, and Gon. Instead of stopping to keep from running into the three, with a simple little side step and turn, the person easily flew around them and fell into an easy pace just a few feet from Kurapika.

Kurapika decided, since he didn't know the person's name, that the best he could do was refer to him as Number 43. He kept an eye on Number 43, but whoever they were, they didn't feel the need to try to outrun anyone else even though Hisoka was further up ahead. For a long time they continued on their pace. Minutes turned into an hour, an hour turned into three. Kurapika was sure they had to of run about forty kilometers. Several people had begun to lag behind from exhaustion, sweat dripping from their brows and down their necks. Kurapika looked at Number 43, silently wondering how they managed to run with the cloak and hood on. It had to be hot.

At the back of the pack, some distance behind Kurapika, Leorio was lagging behind the others, sweat pouring off of him. Falling so far behind, Leorio began to wonder if he would ever be able to match up to the others and slowly came to a stop, dropping his briefcase. Gon turned back, calling Leorio. Killua told him to leave Leorio, but Gon wouldn't. He just waited, as if he was sure that Leorio would get back into motion soon enough. Sure enough, as if getting his second wind, Leorio charged forward, commenting that nothing would stop him from becoming a Hunter.

He flew past Gon, who had to retrieve Leorio's briefcase and even managed to run right between Kurapika and Number 43, surprising the two. Number 43 actually shook their head, the hood moving with the motion. As they passed the sixty kilometer mark, not a single person had yet to drop out. By the time they reached the eighty kilometer mark, having been running for six hours, only one person dropped out, getting left behind; number one hundred and eighty-nine, Nichol.

Not far past that, the passageway begin to rise, the pathway turning into stairs. Satotz picked up the pace again, hopping up two or three steps at a time. Kurapika was keeping up just fine, while Leorio, with his long legs and long stride, was taking the stairs two at a time. He had removed his suit jacket and dress shirt, tying both around his waist. Number 43 turned to look at him, as if either intrigued or amused.

"Leorio, are you alright?" Kurapika asked.

"Yeah! As you can see...I realized I can keep going as long as I don't try to keep up my appearances! I'm gonna keep going even if it means I have to go butt-naked! Kurapika! If you're gonna pretend not to know me, now's your chance!" Leorio called back.

Kurapika chuckled lowly to himself. Perhaps there was something he could learn from Leorio. Though he wouldn't go bare chested, he could stand to go without his tabard. He removed the article of clothing and folded it into his bag before turning to Number 43.

"You know, you could do the same. It must be hot, running with that cloak on." Kurapika told Number 43.

The hood turned in his direction, as if the person beneath was looking at him. And then, as if to prove that they were just fine, one knee bent just a little move than before and Number 43 darted up the stairs, jumping up three stairs at a time with the agility of a deer. Before Kurapika knew it, Number 43 had vanished among the people far ahead of him.

Well, that was one way to reply.

Shrugging it off, Kurapika caught up with Leorio.

"Leorio, can I ask you one thing?" Kurapika asked.

"Heh. I don't want to waste my stamina by talking." Leorio replied, using Kurapika's earlier words.

Kurapika ignored the use of his own words. Especially since they had just been turned against him.

"Are you really trying to become a Hunter only for the money?" Kurapika asked, referring back to the reason Leorio had given for becoming a Hunter. "No, right? Although we've only known each other for a few days, I can tell at least that much. Your attitude can definitely be improved upon and you're not too bright, but you don't seem like the materialistic type. I've seen many greedy people before, but you don't really fit the mold."

Leorio made a face at just how straight forward Kurapika was with his opinion of him. Kurapika certainly didn't feel the need to hold back what he thought.

"Jeez. You sure like to argue with logic." Leorio replied, dodging the subject.

"Scarlet Eyes."

Confused, Leorio glanced over his shoulder as Kurapika when he said this. Kurapika was staring straight ahead, not looking at him.

"It's the reason why the Kurta Tribe was targeted. The scarlet eyes refer to a unique trait that only the Kurta Tribe members possess. If our emotions become intense or excited, our pupils turn into a reddish color that looks as if it's on fire. If we die in that state, the scarlet color remains in the pupil. The scarlet tone of the eye is one of the seven most beautiful colors of the world." Kurapika explained.

"So you're saying that's why the Phantom Troupe massacred your tribe?" Leorio asked.

"Every single one of the bodies that were attacked by them were missing their eyes. Even now, the vast mortified darkness of their empty sockets speak to me, "avenge us". I will stop at nothing to capture the Phantom Troupe! And I will reclaim the eyes of my people!" Kurapika vowed.

"They've probably already been sold on the black market. And you won't be able to get close to the ones who bought them since they're probably either people of extraordinary power or wealth." Leorio told him.

"I can if I'm a Hunter. If I become a money-chasing contract Hunter, I'll be able to gather all kinds of information." Kurapika replied.

"Contract? Those kind of Hunters are the kind of prideless Hunters you hate the most. Aren't they the kind of Hunters who chase after petty riches like a dog?" Leorio asked.

"My pride...is meaningless in comparison to the pain of my people." Kurapika answered.

"Too bad."

Kurapika looked at Leorio in confusion. Straight faced, Leorio explained what he meant.

"I don't have any kind of noble reason to compare to yours. My goal is simply money." Leorio told him.

"Don't lie! You can't honestly believe that you can buy everything with money!?" Kurapika demanded.

"Sure I can! Material objects, dreams, even love. Even people's lives can be bought with money! Everything has a price." Leorio argued.

"I cannot forgive you for that comment, Leorio! Take it back!" Kurapika demanded.

"Why!? It's true! If I had money, my friend wouldn't have died!"

Leorio instantly cursed himself for letting that slip. Now it made sense to Kurapika. Leorio's true reason behind his claims.

"Was your friend sick?" Kurapika asked.

"It wasn't an untreatable disease! The problem was the huge cost for surgery! I'm a simple guy, so I first thought I could just become a doctor. It was my dream to treat the children who didn't have money, like my friend, and tell their parents "I don't need any money". What a joke! If I want to become that kind of doctor, I need a fortune to pay my way! So do you understand now!? Money, money, money! I need money!"

Kurapika stared at Leorio's back. No matter what he said, it really was a noble cause. Not everyone had such a good reason for wanting to become a Hunter. Silence fell between the two as they continued their climb, passing people as they fell behind and were eliminated. At the half way point of the stairs, thirty-seven had dropped out.

At the head of the pack, Gon and Killua had fallen into step just behind Satotz. Gon glanced back, searching for Leorio and Kurapika.

"I didn't realize we're at the head of the pack." Gon remarked.

"Yeah, since he's slowed down the pace a bit. It's actually more tiring if you go slow like this. If the Hunter exam is this easy...it's gonna be pretty boring." Killua remarked.

"Killua, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon asked.

"Me? It's not that I particularly want to become a Hunter. I just heard it was extremely difficult so I thought it would be fun to try it out. But it's been disappointing so far." Killua answered. "What about you, Gon?"

"My father's a Hunter. My goal is to become the kind of Hunter my father is." Gon replied.

"And what kind of Hunter is that?" Killua asked.

"I have no idea!" Gon replied cheerfully.

"That's really weird!" Killua declared, laughing.

"It is? I've lived with my aunt ever since I was born, so I've only seen my father through photos. But I met a guy named Kaito a few years ago and he told me all kinds of stories about him." Gon said, going on to list all the things Kaito had told him about his father.

"Is that really that amazing?" Killua asked.

"Hmm...I don't really know. But when Kaito was telling me these things, he was filled with such pride as if he were talking about himself and not somebody else. So I thought to myself after listening to him...that I wanted to become a Hunter like my father." Gon said.

Both boys broke off their conversation, turning to the side as the cloaked figure of Number 43 drew even with them, bouncing from one step to the next with ease.

"Hi! I'm Gon!" Gon greeted cheerfully.

The hood moved as the person underneath turned their head to look at him.

"Sinthe." came the low voice from under the hood.

"Nice to meet you, Sinthe! This is Killua!" Gon told the figure.

Sinthe half bowed to the two in greeting before turning back to face forward. Just then the exit finally came into view, sunlight shining like a beacon in the darkness of the passageway. Killua and Gon were the first to cross the threshold leading out into the open air, with the now identified Sinthe right behind them. Unlike Killua and Gon, who were more interested in their surroundings, Sinthe decided it would be in her best interest to take the chance to rest a little. The cloaked Sinthe took a seat just to one side of the doorway as more people spilled out of the passageway. Everyone stopped to stare at the land spread out around them.

"The Numere Marsh, otherwise known as "The Swindler's Nest". To reach the second exam site, you have no choice but to go through here This marsh is home to rare species that can't be seen anywhere else. The majority of these species are cunning and greedy, and feed on humans. Please take all precautions and stay alert at all times. Being fooled is as good as being dead." Satotz explained.

One danger after another just awaiting them to stumble into it's grasp. How Killua found this boring was beyond some of those present. They were about to find out just how difficult the exam really could be.

END

Kyandi: I think you and Hisoka are funny together.

Sinthe: Funny? He takes every chance to mess with me.

Kyandi: Aw, that just means he likes you.

Sinthe: I don't know which is scarier, the what you said or the fact that you actually believe it.

Kyandi: Hisoka's not always bad.

Sinthe: Maybe not, but the man is fundamentally insane.

Kyandi: That's just a matter of perspective.

Sinthe: Then your's is off.

Kyandi: Maybe. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We will, hopefully, return with another chapter today.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	3. Start of Round Three

Kyandi: Hey, everyone!

Sinthe: We weren't able to get more chapters up as soon as we hoped, but we have one for you now.

Kyandi: Yep. I'm looking forward to later chapters because, with this story line, I get to do story acrs that I didn't get to do in the other story line.

Sinthe: Like the Heaven's Arena arc?

Kyandi: Yes! This is going to be fun.

Sinthe: She says while wringing her hands in the most typical evil villain style. Do I want to know what you have planned for me in that head of your's?

Kyandi: Not really.

Sinthe: I fear for my life.

Kyandi: Oh, hush. You're not going to die.

Sinthe: ...

Kyandi: What? What's with the silence?

Sinthe: Do I need to bring up the fact that you killed Rette?

Kyandi: Shut up. That's a completely different case. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 3 Start of Round Three

The group remained in place for a while before a door closed over the opening to the passageway, signalling that all of those who had not made it out of the passage by that time, had failed. Sinthe didn't even spare those just on the other side of the door a glance as the door shut them inside.

"The species that live in this marsh stop at nothing to obtain and eat their prey. The ecosystem of the species who trick and eat their target...is the very reason why this place is called the Swindler's Nest. Stay alert and do not get tricked...and please follow me closely." Satotz told them.

Whispering spread out through those candidates that had made it out of the passage. Many wondered how they could be fooled if they had been warned.

"It's a lie! He's lying to you!"

A sudden yell from just on the other side of Sinthe, drew everyone's attention. Sinthe looked up as, just a few feet from where she sat, a man appeared, all beat up and shaking. He was dragging some kind of creature behind him. Sinthe didn't budge.

"He's a fake! He's not the examiner! I'm the real examiner!" he declared, pointing an accusing finger at Satotz.

Many of the candidates began to question Satotz, muttering back and forth about rather it was true or not. As if to make his point, the man threw what he was dragging in front of them, revealing what it was. It looked like some kind of thin, ape-like creature, with a face that was oddly similar to Satotz's.

"A human-faced monkey that lives in the Numere Marsh! Human-faced monkeys like fresh human meat, but their arms and legs are extremely weak because they're thin and lanky. So they disguise themselves as humans and discreetly lure their prey to enter the marsh and band together with other species to eat them! That one's trying to lure all the examinees and decimate them all at once!" the man demanded.

Sinthe raised an arm under the cloak, raising the cloak to block the face under the hood as three cards flew past him and buried deep into the man's head, spraying blood in Sinthe's direction and killing the man. At the same time, four cards had been thrown at Satotz, who effortlessly stopped them. Hisoka chuckled to himself as he played with his cards.

"I see, I see." Hisoka basically purred.

Sinthe lowered her raised arm to peer at the human-faced monkey as it quit playing dead and tried to run for it's life. Hisoka took it down with a card to the back and a card to the head. In the hands of Hisoka, the cards might as well have been blades. Sinthe could have warned the creature that it was no use running from her comrade.

"This proves it. He's the real one. The examiners are Hunters who have been commissioned by the judging committee and take on this duty for free. It wouldn't make sense for a person who holds the very occupation we're all aiming for to not be able to fend off an attack like this." Hisoka said.

"I'll take that as a compliment. However, from now on, any attack on me whatsoever will be considered an act of rebellion towards the examiner and I will disqualify you immediately. Understood?" Statoz asked.

Hisoka agreed, fading back into the crowd. Sinthe got to her feet, rejoining Hisoka as flesh eating birds descended on the bodies of the creatures Hisoka had just killed. Hisoka looked down at Sinthe who shook her head at him. He grinned back at her.

"What?" he asked.

His only reply was another shake of the head.

"That's the result of failure. His plan was to accuse me of being a fake and leading a few confused examinees astray. In this place, this kind of life and death trickery occurs every single day. Some of you were starting to doubt me, were you not?" Satotz questioned.

A few of the examinees looked away from Satotz, rubbing the back of their heads in a sheepish nature. Among them was Leorio and Hanzo.

"Now, shall we continue to the second exam site?" Satotz asked.

Satotz lead them into the marsh. Sinthe easily slipped to the front of the pack, refusing to be left behind for flesh-eating creatures to attack. Out of four hundred and five examinees, three hundred and eleven entered the marsh. The ground was mushy, making running difficult and fog soon rolled in. Those falling behind at the back of the pack would soon lost track of those in front. Killua and Gon moved up closer to Sinthe, trying to put some distance between them and Hisoka who looked like he was just itching to kill someone.

Sinthe glanced back at her comrade, heaving a silent sigh. She understood why her brother had chosen the man to replace the missing fourth member of the Troupe, but some times she had to wonder exactly how Hisoka's brain worked. Deciding to leave the thought for another time, Sinthe turned back to face forward.

Kurapika and Leorio fell back to the back of the pack and the fog grew thicker. With it hard to lose sight of Sinthe's brightly colored hood when it was right in front of them, Killua and Gon kept it in sight at all times and, in turn, Sinthe kept Satotz in view at all times. Screams soon began to drift up towards them from the back of the pack. It seemed some of the examinees, even after being warned, had been tricked, though Sinthe was sure that Hisoka was taking advantage of the fog to satisfy his need to kill.

Soon, just seeing Sinthe in front of them became hard for Gon and Killua. Sinthe spared a glance back when, hearing something behind him, Gon turned back yelling for Leorio.

Sinthe simply faced forward once more, refusing to lose track of Satotz and become like those whose screams echoed in the fog. Some time during the run, Sinthe looked up to find that Killua had fallen into step to one side and that the needle covered man, Gitarakuru, had fallen into step on the other side. Sinthe, despite a feeling of being caught between predators, kept going. It was a feeling that she was use to by this point in her life. A person couldn't sit between two members of the Troupe without getting the same feeling. There was no point in getting distracted now.

This run turned out to be shorter than the last and soon, those who had stuck close to Satotz, arrived at the second exam site. They found themselves in a large clearing where a single, large building sat. Separating from the pack, Sinthe claimed a seat under a tree, sitting down cross legged against its trunk to await Hisoka's arrival. Sinthe glanced up when he finally appeared out of the fog with Leorio thrown over his shoulder. As if sensing Sinthe's eyes on him, Hisoka turned towards the cloaked form under the tree and grinned. He sat Leorio under a tree before approaching Sinthe, folding his form to sit next to her.

"Do I want to know the amount of trouble you got into out in that fog?" she asked him lowly.

"Hmmm...perhaps not." he purred.

While Sinthe didn't like killing and didn't approve of it for any reason, she wasn't upset with him. To her, Hisoka was a...special case. In more ways than one. There just had to be something off with the man's head, the way he acted. Not that he could control that. The fact that he controlled his urges most of the time, was the only reason she hadn't completely given up on him.

Soon Gon and Kurapika rejoined the group, instantly checking on Leorio to make sure he was alright. When Satotz was sure the last of those who were alive, had made it, he stood before them.

"Everybody, congratulations, you have safely escaped the marsh. The Biska Forest Park is the second exam site. I take my leave. I wish everyone good luck." Satotz told them before turning to leave.

Sinthe glanced towards the building then, wondering when the second exam would start and who would lead it. A sign above the door announced that the exam would begin at noon. A clock above the sign showed that they only had about ten minutes to wait. Many took the time to rest or prepare for whatever might come out of the building. As the minutes ticked down, everyone got tense. At the thirty second mark, Sinthe got up, urging Hisoka to do the same, and joined the others. Right at noon, the doors opened, revealing a young woman sitting cross legged on a comfortable looking chair with a large man sitting on the ground behind her.

The strange noises they had heard coming from the building up to that moment, turned out to be the big guy's stomach growling. Just listening to it made Sinthe's stomach growl in agreement. The woman looked up at her large companion.

"So? You really hungry?" she asked.

"Can't you hear it? I'm starving." he replied.

"So for that reason, the second exam will be...cooking! Cook up a dish that can satisfy us two Gourmet Hunters." the woman announced.

Obviously she and her companion were suppose to be their next examiners. But the thought of cooking being their exam shocked pretty much everyone there.

"First, cook the dish that I designate." the big guy said.

"And only the ones who pass that will be allowed to cook the dish I designate. So basically, only by getting us both to say it's "delicious" can you pass the second exam! The exam will end when we're full." the woman explained.

Cooking.

It wasn't something Sinthe was unacquainted with. After all, she had spent the better part of five or more years, cooking for the whole of the Phantom Troupe as they came and went from her house and each had taste buds vastly more different than the others. It made cooking for them all, quite the challenge. Not many of the others had even the basic idea of how to cook. And while the guy looked like he could put away enough food for at least ten people, the woman didn't look like she ate all that much. There was a good chance a vast majority of them would fail.

"My menu is...whole-roasted pig. It's my favorite. As long as the pig resides in this forest, any type will do. Now...second exam start!" the man, who introduced himself as Buhara, declared.

Roasting a pig wasn't a big deal. As long as it wasn't under cooked or burned to a crisp, it was pretty simple to do. Catching the pig was where the challenge lay. Biska Forest Park...as far as Sinthe knew, only one breed of pig resided in the area and it wasn't an easy kind to catch. Not knowing this, the other examinees charged into the forest to find their pigs. Sinthe was more cautious. It wasn't hard to find the pigs, either. They were huge with large snouts that protected their foreheads.

Sinthe figured this was the case. They were called the Great Stamp and were the world's most ferocious pig. With it's large and hard nose, it could crush just about any creature. But they had one major weakness, the reason behind why their snouts were so big and hard...was to protect a weak and soft forehead. One solid hit would be the end of the pig. Aside from Sinthe, who had already known this, Gon was the first to figure it out. After Gon, others soon caught on to where to hit. But even with that, only seventy others beside Sinthe, were able to catch and roast a pig.

After they had caught their's, it was a matter of simply roasting the meat and presenting it to Buhara. In a pace that made Sinthe's stomach feel uneasy, Buhara devoured each and every one of the pigs, declaring them all good. When he finally declared himself full, the woman, Menchi, hit a gong to signaled that it was finished. In the end, Buhara ate seventy-one whole-roasted pigs.

Sinthe felt like being sick.

"So you're saying that all the pigs you ate were delicious? Then there's no way for us to judge." Menchi remarked.

"Ah, who cares? I cut down the number, didn't I? And it's not like this is a test for taste anyway." Buhara said.

"You're too easy on them. A Gourmet Hunter should always be true to one's own taste. Oh well. Can't really argue. Whole-roasted pig test! Seventy-one passed!" Menchi declared. "I'm not like Buhara. I'm going to be a little harder to please! I'm going to judge strictly as well. For the second half of the second exam, my menu will be...sushi!"

It was a dish that next to no one had ever even heard of. Menchi saw the confused looks on their faces and smiled.

"You all seem quite perplexed. It's not a surprise that no one knows what it is. It's a traditional dish of a small island country. Here's a hint! Please look here! This is where you'll be cooking!" Menchi announced.

She showed them to an area where small kitchenettes had been set up for their use.

"All the necessary ingredients and utensils are here and the essential ingredient, rice, has been prepared. And the biggest hint! I will only be accepting Nigiri sushi, the kind made by clenching the rice with your hand. Alright, begin! The exam will end when I'm full! Until then, you can make as many as you want!" Menchi announced.

Everyone pretty much just stared at their stations in confusion. None of them had ever heard of the dish and didn't know how to prepare it. From all the laughing he was trying to suppress, Hanzo did know how to prepare it. Hisoka turned and looked down at Sinthe.

"Why are you looking at me?" Sinthe asked.

Hisoka raised one eyebrow at her, as if that would tell her why he was looking at her. Sinthe shook her head at him. Seemed she was doing a lot of that.

"You need to learn to cook." she told him, turning to walk away from the group.

"You wouldn't say that to your brother." Hisoka teased as he followed her.

"That's different. He's my brother."

Slipping away from the others and into the forest, Sinthe went in search for fish, finding and catching some quickly, with a little help from Hisoka, before returning. By that point, the others had caught on and had gone in search of fish themselves. All of the fish they could find and catch weren't the right kind of fish, for sushi used salt water fish, but Sinthe made do, putting Hisoka to work.

Leorio was the first to "finish", taking his to Menchi, but the shape was wrong and it had everything, including the head of the fish, added in. Menchi threw the dish away. Gon tried next and was deemed to be just as bad as Leorio. Every person after them were deemed wrong too.

"There hasn't been a single one I've tried yet! Are you guys trying to starve me to death!?" Menchi demanded.

Finally Hanzo stepped forward, offering his. Liking the shape, Menchi tried it...and declared it a failure. Frustrated, Hanzo, being an idiot, pretty much blurted out exactly how to make the sushi. Having angered Menchi, the woman exploded.

"What's so hard? Something like this? Taste the same!? Are you kidding me!? To be able to properly make sushi, it requires more than ten years of training! No matter how many times a novice like you copies the shape, the difference in taste is astronomical! You idiot!" Menchi yelled at him.

"Then why'd you make something like that as the theme of the exam!?" Hanzo asked.

"Shut up, baldly! You wanna die!? So you wanna complain? Huh!?" Menchi asked.

Someone clearing their throat, made Menchi turn from Hanzo to the cloaked form of Sinthe. Sinthe held a plate on which sat a single piece of sushi. It was the right shape. Releasing Hanzo, she dismissed him and turned to Sinthe. She took the sushi from Sinthe and tried it. And was pleasantly surprised.

"Huh...not bad. You've made this before, haven't you?" Menchi demanded of Sinthe.

Sinthe nodded silently. Menchi was pleased that at least one of them could figure out how to make a half way decent piece of sushi, but didn't passed Sinthe, expecting a better one from Sinthe the next time around. Seeing that it wasn't impossible to make one half way decent, the others crowded Menchi with their's. Thanks to Hanzo, they all had the shape down now, but none came close to even the half way decent taste that Sinthe had managed. In the end, Menchi declared herself full and that no one passed. Which didn't go over so well with the other candidates.

Even after a call from committee, Menchi refused to change her ruling, which started a fight with one of the examinees who had to insult Menchi by calling Gourmet Hunters, petty, saying that he wanted to become a Blacklist Hunter which was better. When it looked like he was about to attack Menchi, Buhara stepped in, swatting him away like he was a fly. Menchi looked over her shoulder at Buhara.

"Buhara. Why'd you get involved?" she asked.

"Because...if I didn't, Menchi, you were going to kill him." Buhara replied.

Pulling her arms out from behind the back of her seat, Menchi revealed that she had a cleaver in each hand. Spinning them around in her hands with ease, she got to her feet.

"A Blacklist Hunter? Don't make me laugh! You couldn't even stand a single blow from a Gourmet Hunter. It doesn't matter what kind of Hunter you're aiming to become. Any kind of Hunter has at least one martial art he or she can rely on! Even Gourmet Hunters have to enter beast lairs to look for ingredients and if we come across poachers, we have to fight and capture them! You naturally learn how to fight if you're a Hunter. What I want to see is the spirit of challenging the unknown!" Menchi declared.

"But even so...isn't passing no one a little too much?"

A new voice, spoken over a loud speaker, drew everyone's attention to the sky where a blimp baring the symbol of the Hunter Association, flew over head. As they watched, someone jumped from the blimp and came falling to the ground below, where he landed on his feet with ease. At that height, Sinthe was sure something would have been broken in her own body. As if he hadn't just jumped from a blimp, the man strolled up to Menchi.

"Chairman Netero of the Judging Committee. He's the head director of the Hunter Exam." Menchi said.

"I'm just a figurehead. All I do now is sit around and only show up to take care of the little troubles we run into." Netero said. "Menchi-kun."

"Yes!" Menchi replied, when he called her name.

"You seeked to find from them, the spirit of challenging the unknown and the result is complete disqualification because of a problem with their attitudes?" Netero asked.

"No. It started with all the examinees finding out how to make the dish, which caused all kinds of problems. They all seemed to underestimate cooking, so I got mad...and lost my temper...and then I got full from tasting all their dishes." Menchi explained.

"So basically, you realize that there was a problem in your judging, correct?" Netero asked.

"...Yes." Menchi confirmed. "I apologize! I tend to lose control of myself when it comes to cooking. I am a failure as an examiner. I will resign as an examiner so please disregard the results of this test." Menchi declared.

"Hmm...even if we were to continue with the test...the chosen menu seems to have been too difficult. Okay! How about we do this? We continue the exam. However, we will choose a new test in which you first demonstrate it personally before we begin. How about it?" Netero suggested.

This surprised Menchi and gave hope to the examinees. It was possible to get a second chance.

"That will make it easier for the test takers to accept the result as well." Netero added.

"I see. Then...Boiled egg." Menchi replied.

The examinees stared at her. Even someone who had never cooked before should be able to boil an egg without messing up too horribly.

"Chairman. Can you take us to the top of that mountain over there?" Menchi asked, pointing to a mountain in the distance.

"I see. Certainly." Netero replied with a grin.

The examinees were ushered onto the blimp and given a lift to the mountain, which they found was split right in half. The blimp landed at the top and Menchi lead the examinees out and over to the ravine between the two halves of the mountain.

"It's here." she declared, pointing down into the ravine.

The examinees, careful of their footing, peered down into the ravine. Menchi begin stripping her boots off, leaving them on the ground.

"Relax. There's a deep river below. But if you fall in, the currents are so strong that you'd get carried several kilometers to sea." she told them. "I'll go first."

With that, Menchi jumped from the edge and into the ravine. Most of the examinees thought she was crazy. Sinthe though, was curious. Moving to the edge, Sinthe peered down below, watching Menchi. As Sinthe's eyes adjusted to the dimness of the ravine, he spotted what it was Menchi was aiming for. Far below them were bundles of eggs wrapped up safely in webs and left to hang.

"She must've gone looking for the egg of the spider eagles that live in Mafutatsu Mountain. In order to protect its eggs from land predators, spider eagles hang their eggs on sturdy threads in between the canyons." Netero explained. "Hang on the thread well, pick one egg, and climb back up."

Sinthe watched as Menchi easily caught herself on one of the threads. Hooking her legs around the thread, she picked one of the eggs and climbed back up the side to where they stood.

"Here! All you have to do is boil this egg." Menchi said with a smile.

Several of the examinees had the same thought. That it was easy for her to say, that a person would have to be crazy to jump down there. Well...Sinthe guessed she was crazy. Without another word, Sinthe plunged off the edge, being the first one to leap, putting a who new twist to the saying, "leaping before you look". The dark cloaked form of Sinthe dropped towards the eggs below. With the same ease Menchi had managed, Sinthe caught one of the threads, swinging her form under the thread before flipping to hook knees over the thread. Falling back Sinthe snatched the egg and tucked it somewhere under the cloak before climbing back up, careful not to let the hood fall back.

Popping back up over the edge, Sinthe stood and dusted off the cloak with hands clad in red fingerless gloves, before turning to present Menchi with the egg. Seeing how easy it had been for both Menchi and Sinthe, some of the others were happy to give it a try.

"Ah, that's a relief." Killua remarked.

"Yeah! I was waiting for something like this." Gon added.

"Something like this is much faster and easier than any traditional dish." Leorio agreed.

Just like Sinthe, without another word, Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, and Gon jumped from the edge. A few others followed after them, but a few remained behind.

"And the rest of you guys? Giving up?" Menchi asked, looking at them.

"Knowing when to quit also take courage. This year is not the only chance you'll have to take this exam." Netero assured them.

Once those who had jumped, returned with the eggs, Buhara set up a large pot of water over a fire and they all put their eggs inside. They waited until they were done before fishing them out of the pot of water.

"This here is a normal boiled egg." Menchi said, showing them a normal, white egg. "And this one's the boiled spider eagle egg. Compare the two carefully."

Menchi held up another egg that had turned a dark color. Each of those who had jumped, picked up a normal egg and their spider eagle egg, taking a bite of each and comparing them. Each of them found the spider eagle egg to be delicious with a rich and deep taste unlike any normal egg.

"Can you understand a little the joy of discovering something delicious? That's the kind of work I risk my life for." Menchi explained to them.

The second exam ended with a total of forty-three people out of original four hundred and five, passing. After that, the examinees were escorted back onto the blimp and Netero, himself, explained what would happen next.

"I'd like to re-introduce myself to the forty-three men and women here. I am the head representative of the judging committee of this year's Hunter Exam, Netero. I was originally planning to show myself only for the final exam but now that I'm here...I might as well accompany guys. I feel an indescribable tension flowing." Netero said.

"We are scheduled to arrive at our next destination at around eight a.m. tomorrow morning. Please enjoy your free time until we make an announcement." Netero's assistant told them.

Gon and Killua instantly took off to check out the airship as if they weren't tired and had plenty of energy to spare. Leorio, Kurapika, Sinthe, and a few others, all agreed that they were going to get some sleep. Sinthe turned to ask Hisoka if they should find somewhere to rest for the night, but the man was missing. She heaved a sigh, wondering where he could have gotten off to. In the end, instead of worrying about it, she just turned and joined the others in finding somewhere to sleep. Hisoka would show back up, sooner or later.

"I'm gonna get some sleep." Leorio said.

"Me too. It was a really long day." Kurapika agreed.

On Kurapika's other side, Sinthe nodded, as if agreeing with the statement. Though it was more of the three moving in the same general direction, they went in search of somewhere to catch some sleep.

"There's something I've been wondering about." Kurapika said.

"Huh?" Leorio questioned.

"How many more exams could there be?" Kurapika asked.

"Come to think of it, I forgot to ask that." Leorio remarked before turning to Sinthe who was walking near them. "You know?"

A side to side movement of the hood showed that Sinthe was shaking her head in reply. She hadn't asked Shalnark that. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"It differs each year."

The three twisted around to find Tompa behind them.

"The number of exams are determined by the judging committee after they discuss the contents of the exam with the examiners of that year. But on average, it's usually five or six." Tompa explained.

"So we've got three or four more to go." Leorio remarked.

"It would be a good idea for us to rest for now." Kurapika said.

"But you better be careful. The organizer only mentioned something about "the next destination" so the ship itself might be the third exam site. And we can't really trust what he said about eight a.m. either. You might wake up and the exam might have already ended while you slept. So if you want to pass the next exam...you shouldn't let down your guard even here inside the ship." Tompa told them, hoping they would buy it and end up being up all night.

Tompa walked away, leaving Kurapika and Leorio looking at each other. Sinthe tilted her head to the side, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to continue about her way. That couldn't be the case. Netero had said himself that he wasn't suppose to come in until the final exam. There was no way they could have rearranged the exams in the short amount of time it took them to deal with the second exam. So with a clear conscious, Sinthe sought out a spot, dropped to the floor and leaned back against the wall to catch some sleep.

All over the ship, others did what they wanted. Some slept, others got something to eat, and some just socialized with those they knew. In a room somewhere on the ship, the examiners for the last two exams, sat around a table eating.

"Hey...how many do you think will remain this year?" Menchi asked suddenly.

"You mean how many will pass?" Buhara asked.

"Yeah. I think there are a lot of outstanding ones this year. Although I shouldn't be one to talk since I failed them all." Menchi remarked.

"Wouldn't it all depend on the upcoming exams?" Buhara asked.

"That's true, but...couldn't you tell during the exam? There was one emitting a pretty good aura. What do you think, Satotz-san?" Menchi asked, turning to the third person at the table.

"Hmm. I'd have to say...the rookies are rather impressive this year." Satotz said.

"They are, right!? I personally like Number 294. The baldy." Menchi remarked.

"For me, Number 99 stood out by far. He's good." Satotz said.

"He's too arrogant and self-centered. I'm positive his blood type is B. The kind you'd never be able to live with!" Menchi declared. "What about you, Buhara?"

"The one that caught my attention isn't a rookie. I think he was...Number 44. I'm sure you noticed too, Menchi...but when 255 was raising a fit, the one giving off the most murderous energy was actually Number 44." Buhara said.

"Of course, I knew. It was so intense he couldn't hide it if he wanted to. But Buhara, do you know? He was like that from the beginning. From the moment we showed up." Menchi told him.

"Really?" Buhara asked.

"Yeah. The reason I was being so bitchy was actually because of him. He wouldn't stop trying to pick a fight with me." Menchi said.

"He did that to me as well. He's an individual to watch out for. I do not want to admit it, but he's of the same type as us. Although he seems to enjoy a much darker side. Us Hunters subconsciously always seek out a rival. A place to find an opponent we can acknowledge and compete against...that is the Hunter Exam. Among them, there occasionally appears a rebel like him. The kind who does not hesitate to step on the accelerator when we try to step on the brake." Satotz said. "But if we are not the ones stepping on the brake, there is another among the candidates that seems to be the one who will. Especially where Number 44 is concerned."

Menchi and Buhara looked at Satotz in confusion.

"Did neither of you notice Number 43?" Satotz asked.

Menchi leaned back to think about that one. Number 43 was Sinthe. Sinthe was quiet, quick and efficient. The kid didn't bother wasting time with worrying or useless action. There was a calmness, a patience in everything Sinthe did, as if the person under the hood couldn't be bothered to do something at a pace faster than they were comfortable with. Which kind of conflicted with Hisoka since the two seemed to be going at the exam as sort-of partners.

"Number 43 is interesting, but I'm not so sure about them." Menchi remarked. "Something about that kid just feels...off."

"Number 43 is the type that cannot be urged or egged into doing something at any pace but their own. Where Number 44 steps on the accelerator, Number 43 steps on the brake. That the two can function in their sort-of partnership, is a mystery since the two are such complete opposites, running at completely different speeds. It seems they would have fallen out with each other by now, but they seem to get along rather pleasantly. Where Number 44 seems intent on rushing things in his favor, Number 43 is meticulously patient. I cannot sense any need to rush from that particular individual." Satotz said.

"Is there occasionally one like Number 43, too?" Buhara asked.

"If there has been, I have yet to notice them. Something behind that meticulous patience of Number 43's feels...different. I cannot put a word to it. It is almost like...a shadow. Something you can see, but cannot lay a finger on." Satotz answered.

Between the rookies and those veterans among them that could cause problems, this year's Hunter Exam could end up being rather interesting to see.

-0-0-0-0-

"Everybody, thanks for waiting. We have now arrived at our destination."

The voice being loudly broadcast across the airship, was what awoke Sinthe the next morning. A glance at the clock showed that they had arrived later than they had been told they would. Sinthe didn't really mind. A little extra sleep was always welcomed. Getting up from the spot that Sinthe had occupied the whole night, the figure under the cloak stretched before joining Kurapika and Leorio where they stood at a window, looking out at the world below.

As they watched a tower, perched on a cliff, appeared from the morning clouds. It got bigger and bigger as they approached, until the airship landing on the top of the building, letting everyone out.

"There's...absolutely nothing here." one man said.

"What could they possibly make us do at a place like this?" another asked.

Sinthe could think of one possibility, right off the top of the head.

They would have to keep from getting pushed off. If that was the case, then there were going to be a lot of people that were going to sorely fail if they tried to confront her and Hisoka.

Before anyone else could think of this possibility and speak it, therefore causing panic, a representative appeared before them to explain what the next stage of the exam would be. Hisoka slipped up next to Sinthe then, grinning down at her when she turned her head towards him.

"This is the top of a tower called Trick Tower. This is the starting point of the third exam. I will now explain the contents of the exam. This is a message from the examiner. Make it to the bottom alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours."

With that announced, the representative got back on the airship and the airship took off, leaving them at the top of the tower. Sinthe looked around, counting off the people present. Where last night there had been forty-three, there was now only forty. Where the other three had gone, Sinthe didn't have a clue. Nor did it really matter. Curious, Sinthe walked to the edge of the tower top and peered down. There were no windows and the sides of the tower were sheer, like a sharply dropping cliff side.

Climbing down would be difficult for those who had never done such a thing before.

Gon and Killua joined Sinthe, and from their vintage point, they watched as one man, a professional rock climber, started down the side of the tower. Sinthe looked down at the cloak that wrapped her, knowing that a climb like that would be beyond her.

"Wow, amazing." Killua remarked.

"He's already gone down that far." Gon added.

Something caught Sinthe's, Gon's, and Killua's eyes, making the three peer into the distance. Something was coming their way and from what they could tell, it was some type of bird. They watched as those birds turned out to be man eating monster birds that gobbled up the man who had tried to climb down the side. Many of those gathered at the edge of the roof, stared in horror as the man was devoured completely.

So climbing down the sides wasn't an option. Meaning that there had to be some kind of way down that didn't involve climbing.

Sinthe turned away from the edge of the building and, like the others, started searching the top of the tower. Gon and Killua joined in, walking near Sinthe as they searched. Walking across the top, Sinthe suddenly felt like the ground under her feet, moved. Testing it, Sinthe hopped on the spot. When Gon turned to say something to Sinthe, the cloaked examinee...was gone. There was no sign of the clocked figure anywhere on the tower top.

Gon and Killua looked at each other before searching the area around where they had last seen Sinthe. In that search, they found a trap door. Turning they ran in search of Kurapika and Leorio, to tell them of what they found.

"Leorio, Kurapika!" Gon called when he spot them.

The two turned towards them as they ran over to them.

"We were searching with Sinthe-"

"Sinthe?" Kurapika asked, cutting off Gon.

"Number forty-three's name is Sinthe." Gon explained. "Anyway, we were searching with Sinthe and then he suddenly vanished. When we searched the area he had been standing in, we found a hidden door. But we're kinda hesitating right now."

"What is there to hestitant about?" Kurapika asked.

"We're not sure which one we should go through. There are a lot of doors." Gon answered.

Gon and Killua led them to the area they had found the door in and a quick search revealed five doors bunched up together.

"Five hidden doors...it's a little suspicious that they're all bunched up here." Leorio remarked.

"A few of these are probably traps." Kurapika remarked.

"I agree." Leorio said.

"And I think these doors are designed to open only once." Gon told them.

"Yeah. Like Gon said, Sinthe vanished and when we tried the door he fell through, it wouldn't open. It must have been locked from the other side." Killua told them. "Basically, it's one door per person. We'll all have to scatter and go down different paths."

Leorio knelled next to one of the doors, poking it to make it move slightly. He measured it roughly with his eyes, trying to decide if it would be big enough for more than one person to fit through.

"This door is definitely too narrow for more than one person to get through." Leorio remarked.

The four shared a look, silently agreeing that they would just have to separate for this phase of the exam.

"Gon and I have decided to take one of these doors." Killua said.

"Even if that door leads to a trap, I'm not going to regret my choice." Gon added. "What are you guys gonna do?"

"Sounds good! Since luck is also a skill." Leorio agreed.

"Who will choose first?" Kurapika asked.

The four decided on a round of Jan Ken Pon to settled the choice and each picked a door in the same general area.

"At the count of three, we all go at the same time." Kurapika said.

"Guess it's goodbye for now." Killua remarked.

"I'll see you guys at the bottom." Leorio said confidently.

"Yeah." Kurapika agreed.

The four counted to three and when they hit three, they four of them jumped on the trap doors, the door swinging open to drop them into a room below. Gon, Killua, and Kurapika landed on their feet, while Leorio landed on his head. When they looked around, they found that they had all fallen into the same room. It left them relieved. Though, looking around, they didn't see any sign of Sin which meant that while his door had been near their's, it hadn't been connected to the same room.

"What the hell? All five doors lead to the same damn room?" Leorio asked, a little annoyed.

"That was a short separation." Kurapika agreed.

"This room...doesn't have an exit..."

Gon's comment, had the other three looking around. No doorway or any kind of exit was in sight. The only other thing in the room was a pedestal on which sat five wrist bands. A sign was posted on the wall over them and read as such:

 _The Path of Majority Vote_

 _From here to the finish point, you five must together overcome obstacles based on the decision from majority vote._

"You five...?" Kurapika asked.

The tiny screen on the wristbands lit up then, displaying a clock that was counting down the amount of time they had left to clear the tower.

"There are even five timers." Leorio said.

"It has buttons for O and X." Killua added.

"Maybe...one more person...until one more person comes down to this room, we won't be allowed to leave here." Kurapika said.

Each of the four of them put on one of the wristbands as he spoke and no sooner had he finished speaking, a voice sounded over a speaker on the wall.

" _That is correct. This tower consists of several paths leading down to the bottom. And for each path, there is a different condition to overcome. Your path is the path of majority vote. If even one person goes astray, you will never make it down! It is a difficult path which requires absolute cooperation. I will wish you all the best of luck!_ "

With that, the speaker clicked off, leaving them in silence.

"Ah shit, more waiting." Leorio complained, dropping to sit near a wall.

While it wasn't what they wanted to do, they would have to simply wait for someone else to find the last trap door into the room.

They just hoped it didn't too long.

-0-0-0-0-

Sinthe was glad she had expected the shifting in the floor to be a trap door. She had been prepared and landed on her feet when she fell through. With one hand, she made sure her hood hadn't fallen back. She wasn't ready for the other candidates to know that she was the person the outside world knew as Devil Child Joelle. It just drew unnecessary attention to her.

"About time you joined me."

Hearing that purring voice from behind her, Sinthe turned to find Hisoka sitting against the far wall, a grin on his face.

"So we ended up in the same place, huh?" Sinthe asked.

"It would seem so. I couldn't move on without a partner." he replied, gesturing to a sign on the wall.

Sinthe turned to look at the sign which said something about the two of them having to work together if they wanted to reach the bottom of the tower. There were even two wrist bands sitting on a pedestal under the sign. Sinthe braced her hands on her hips. With this set up, she knew that Hisoka would be overly tempted to try to mess with her and he would do so with a grin on his face.

Turning to look at him, he already had a grin on his face. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he chuckled and smiled at her...he was going to take every chance just to mess with her. The disadvantage of working with a man who enjoyed making others run around to his own tune. Not that she wanted to dance to his tune. The trick would be how to balance keeping him preoccupied and, therefore, out of her hair, and concentrating mostly on the test.

She was in for quite the task.

END

Kyandi: To be honest, while it's fun to watch others being forced to work with Hisoka...I wouldn't want to.

Sinthe: You see my position then.

Kyandi: Somewhat. It's still funny because it's not me.

Sinthe: Of course it's still funny to you.

Kyandi: At least I'm honest about it.

Sinthe: You can keep your honesty, thanks.

Kyandi: Alright, alright, message received. Anyway, I have things to do, so everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	4. Wasting Time

Kyandi: I have returned!

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama has been very busy the last few days.

Kyandi: Yeah, I have been. Really busy.

Sinthe: You're siblings haven't been any help.

Kyandi: I can't really blame them though. They just want to celebrate.

Sinthe: For those of you who don't follow Kyandi-sama on Twitter, her birthday was three days ago.

Kyandi: Yeah, joy. Another year older.

Sinthe: Your sister?

Kyandi: Yeah. You would think that after ten years, she would get tired of waking me up on my birthday with, "Happy birthday, you're old.". But no.

Sinthe: She's just showing that she loves you.

Kyandi: Would you do that to Chrollo?

Sinthe: Oh, heavens no!

Kyandi: See? Anyway, let's move on. Everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 4 Wasting Time

"Ugh! It's already been two hours!"

If two hours of down time could drive anyone insane, it was certainly doing so to Leorio. Two hours had passed since they had fallen into the tower room and no one else had come across the the last door into the room.

"Maybe they've already all gone down different paths. If it's someone that still hasn't found a door yet, he must be one helluva dumbass." Leorio remarked.

Just then, they heard a knocking noise from above. All four looked up at the ceiling and watched as the last trap door suddenly dipped slightly as if someone had finally found it. The person on the other side tested it again before finally falling through. To the four's surprise, Tompa fell into the room. They explained to him what was going on as Tompa secured his wristband to his wrist.

"Alright...ready." Tompa said.

With the wristband in place, a section of the wall shifted before it started rising, revealing a door behind it.

"Just as I thought, now that all five of us have put our timers on, a door appears." Kurapika said.

They approached the door, finding a sign that simply asked if they wanted to open the door or not and stated what button stood for which choice.

"Looks like it's majority vote from here on. Isn't this kind of question a little too obvious?" Leorio remarked, as they all pressed their answer.

The screen on the sign lit up, showing that while four of them had hit the O for opening the door, someone had hit X. Leorio, somewhat annoyed with that, turned to look at the others.

"Who's the one that pressed X?' he asked.

"Ahh...sorry sorry. Hahaha. I must've pressed the wrong one." Tompa said in a sheepish manner.

This lead to the first of many fights with Tompa, Leorio being annoyed by him hitting the wrong button. Tompa insisted that it had been an accident and Gon, Kurapika, and Killua insisted that Leorio just let it go. They didn't have the time to sit there and fight. Leorio, though not pleased with it, decided they were right.

They left the room, finding themselves in a hallway that was blocked on both sides by a grate of bars. Another sign on the wall told them to vote on which way they would go; O for right and X for left. They put in their answer with three of them deciding to go right and two of them deciding to go left.

"What the hell? Don't you usually pick left in these situations? I always feel uncomfortable if I don't go left in these kind of situations." Leorio complained.

"There have been studies that have discovered that humans subconsciously choose to go left more often when facing a fork in an unknown path." Kurapika explained.

"I heard about that too." Killua agreed.

"Wait a minute! Then the voting makes even less sense. Which way did you guys choose!?" Leorio asked.

Kurapika and Killua both answered that they had chosen to head right instead of left. Even Tompa revealed that he had chosen right because if it was easier to them to choose left then the examiners would know that and might have made the left path more difficult. This meant that Gon and Leorio had been the ones to choose left, leaving them as the odd men out. But Leorio couldn't argue the choice. The gate blocking the path to the right opened and they followed the hall.

The hall lead them a room where the only floor space was a small ring that stood in the middle of an open room. There was no way to proceed since the floor ended a few feet past the doorway from the hall. On the other side of the room, in the opposite doorway, stood five cloaked and cuffed figures. As they watched, the cuffs on one of the figures, was released. The moment they hit the ground, the man under the cloak, reached up to yank the cloak off, revealing himself.

He was a large man with scars over his bald head. He turned to face them across the room.

"We are "ordeals" that have been hired by the judging committee to be your opponents! You are required to fight the five of us here. The fights will be one-on-one and each person can only fight once! You are free to choose the order as you'd like. Since you guys are on the path of majority vote, all you need is three or more wins to leave here! The rules are simple. The method of battle can be decided freely! There are no ties! When one side admits defeat, the other side wins!" the man called. "Now choose if you're going to accept this battle! Vote! If you're going to fight, press O, if you're not going to fight, press X!"

"What? It's another vote!? What a waste of time. If we want to pass, we have to fight anyway, right? So isn't it obvious we'll all press O?" Leorio remarked as they pressed their answering button. "Then again, some stupid moron might press the wrong button."

Tompa knew that was a jab at him. They all put in their answers, the result showing up as all five voting to accept the battles.

"How about it? It's unanimous!" Leorio called across.

"Good. The first one up from our side is me! Now choose who will go first on your side!" the bald man, Bendott, called across.

Tompa decided to step forward, claiming that since the method of battle was to be decided freely, they had no idea what their opponents have up their sleeves. He insisted that he would be the guinea pig, so to speak, so they could see what their opponent might come up with. They couldn't argue with his logic, so they let him go first.

With the choice made, a walk way slid across the open air between where they stood and the ring. Once Tompa and his opponent stood in the ring, the walk ways retreated back so that no one else could cross.

"Shall we decide the terms of the battle? I...suggest a death match!" Bendott announced. "We fight until one side admits defeat or dies."

Tompa agreed to the terms, but no sooner did the match start, Tompa fell to his knees and declared he lost. His four companions all stared at him, dumb struck by just how quickly Tompa had given up. With his admittance of defeat, one point was granted to the opposing team, leaving Leorio more annoyed than he had been during this whole affair. This left it to Leorio, Killua, Gon, and Kurapika to get, at least, three wins.

Leorio grabbed Tompa by his collar the moment he was back with them, a pissed off look on his face.

"You bastard. Now I know for sure. You're just a piece of shit that likes to get in everyone's way." Leorio said.

Tompa grinned, deciding that it was fine to just admit that he was only there to screw with rookies and nothing more.

"You're exactly right! I've always been like this. And I will continue to be like this! That's how I've been able to survive all this time. You know what? Listen carefully. I'm different from you guys. I don't want to become a Hunter. When I take the Hunter exam, I'm not trying to pass. I just need a little stimulation. If you observe first hand how the veterans go about the exam and learn how to avoid danger, you can easily protect yourself. You get a front seat to the moment of death that occurs right in front of your eyes while you're protecting your own life. The carnage of death which claims the dreams of numerous youngsters. The expression on their face the moment their ambitions and hopes get destroyed forever. I've come to enjoy watching those beyond anything else. So eventually, I got actively involved in working to crush the dreams of newbies. I never thought of becoming a Hunter from the very beginning!" Tompa admitted.

Leorio released Tompa, unsure what to say to that. While they had honestly been trying to become Hunters, Tompa had just been getting off on helping to make others fail.

"This is where I back off and bow out. From the third exam, the number of examinees decreases, but the danger level increases. I don't strain myself any further...basically, I don't give a shit when I lose." Tompa added. "But this is the path of majority vote...if you four try hard, you can even win four to one. So don't be too disappointed now."

While angry that Tompa was purposely working against them, Leorio, like his friends, knew that they didn't have time to worry about this. They had to win three matches and still didn't know what the remaining four opponents were capable of. Kurapika insisted that Leorio let it go, saying that he figured out the purpose of their opponents' presence.

"Long term prisoners!?"

"Yeah. Their sentences will be reduced depending on how long they can keep us trapped in this tower. So it would be desirable for them for us to argue with each other." Kurapika said.

"If killing time and tying us down was their purpose, your decision was a correct one." Killua said, looking at Tompa. "That bald man looks like he's ex-military. He's the type that would never say "I lost" in a regular fight even if he was weaker. And if you were weaker, he probably would've tortured you just short of death for the remainder of the time."

"Hahaha! Of course, I had that all calculated as well." Tompa swore, though the sweat that suddenly coated his skin, begged to differ.

"Who'll go next?" Killua asked.

"I'll go!" Gon said, raising his hand.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Killua asked.

"Yup!" Gon replied.

"You're really something. Usually, people would get scared after hearing what I just said." Killua remarked.

"Well, the next person doesn't look so bad." Gon reasoned, pointing to the skinny man that was waiting to enter the ring.

"I don't know." Killua replied.

Whether he looked like mush or not, the man was still a criminal and there was no telling what he was capable of. Killua turned to peer across at the man, studying him as best he could from where he stood.

"Yeah. I think you can relax. He doesn't look like the type who fights physically." Killua remarked.

With that, Gon and the prisoner, Sedokan, entered the ring. Sedokan gave Gon a sly little smile before pressing a hand to his chest.

"As you can see, I'm not too confident in my stamina. Anything like fighting or running around doesn't really suit my style." Sedokan told Gon.

"But that's what I'd rather do, because I'm not too good at using my brain." Gon replied, cluelessly.

"Ah? So I've come up with a very simple game that both of us can play." Sedokan continued.

With that said, Sedokan pulled out two candles to show to Gon. One was longer while the other was on the shorter side.

"We both light our candles at the same time and the candle that goes out first, loses. What do you think?" Sedokan asked.

"Okay! Sure! Sounds good to me!" Gon agreed quickly.

"Choose which candle you want to go with. If you want the longer candle, press X. If you want the shorter candle, press O. Choose by majority vote." Sedokan said.

Gon's friends were instantly suspicious of the whole thing. Normally, it would be the obvious choice to go with the longer candle, but this was a criminal they were dealing with. It had to be a trap. Either there was some kind of trap in place with the long candle, or Sedokan was trying to use reverse psychology to get them to choose the shorter candle. Either way, it was an impossible choice.

Kurapika knew that when a person was given two possible choices with obvious differences, they would become suspicious and would be unable to make a fast choice. Then there was the psychological damage one suffered afterward if the choice they made was wrong. It was exactly what Sedokan was counting on. He dropped to sit on the ground, grinning.

"Take all the time you want. It's by majority vote, but you're free to discuss this one. Since we've got plenty of time." Sedokan said.

It was bound to lead to fighting among them if they tried to discuss it. Kurapika decided to nip that in the butt while he could. He turned to Gon and called out across to him.

"Gon! You make the choice." Kurapika called. "We will follow your decision. Choose as you'd like. It's pointless for us to stress about this. We will trust your instincts."

"So I can choose, right? Okay!" Gon replied, turning to Sedokan. "I'll choose the longer one."

"So you choose the long candle, right?" Sedokan asked.

"Yeah. The longer one will probably burn longer, right?" Gon asked, completely confident in his answer.

His friends, however, were sure that he hadn't thought the choice over, at all. But they had said that they would go with whatever choice Gon made, so each of them entered in the O for the long candle. With that, Sedokan tossed the long candle over to Gon.

"You get the long one. And I get the short one." Sedokan said, turning to one of the torches lit at the four corners of the ring. "Then at the same time, we light it."

At the same time, both of them touched the wick of their candles to the flame, lighting them. From there, it should have just been them waiting to see which candle went out first. Gon found out quick that there was a draft blowing up from below the ring. If he wasn't careful, his candle would be blown out by the wind.

"How long would that candle normally burn for?" Killua asked, leaning towards Kurapika.

"Wouldn't it burn for around five or six hours?" Kurapika replied.

"The wind from below is pretty strong. So basically, he'll hardly be able to move during that time." Leorio remarked.

Something strange going on with Gon's candle, caught their attention. Suddenly the flame sputtered and then grew in size, as if someone had just added feul to the fire. The now enlarged flame began to burn the candle out, faster and faster.

"He must've mixed in something like gun powder to increase the size of the flame so that the candle will burn faster!" Leorio snapped. "Look! It's getting smaller by the second! At that rate, it won't even last two or three minutes! God dammit! The longer candle was the trap!"

Sedokan laughed lowly to himself. The truth was, he had prepared four candles; two long and two short. While one long and one short candle were normal candles, the other two were soaked in oil, so no matter whether Gon had picked long or short, Sedokan would have given him a candle soaked in oil. Sedokan was sure he had won.

Then Gon grinned.

"If the flame is stronger then it would mean that it's also more resistant to the wind, right?" Gon asked, sitting his candle down on the ground.

Before Sedokan could question what Gon was doing, the boy rocketed forward towards him, closing the distance between them quickly. Gon, once in front of him, simply blew out Sedokan's candle and then gave the man a victory sign, his grin wide.

"I won!" Gon declared.

With Gon's victory, it was tied at one win each. Leorio was sure that they could count on him and Kurapika to win their matches and that they were home free. Kurapika volunteered to go next. His opponent was a big, bulky guy named Majitani, that looked like his face had been run through a meat grinder and had, then, been poorly put back together. He even had little hearts tattooed on his chest.

"Have you seen the head and body of this guy?" Leorio asked, concerned for Kurapika.

Kurapika, though, didn't seemed all that concerned when faced with the large and misshapen man before him. The man then tapped his chest where the hearts were tattooed.

"I've already killed nineteen people, but that was annoying because it's not a good number. I'm happy!" he said, his lips curving into a grin. "For me, the only things that excite me are the fights in which we risk our life. I don't like making the things in half! I need blood! Bodies! Pain!"

Still, Kurapika remained undaunted in the face of this man. His next words actually seemed to surprise Majitani.

"That's okay for me. But if you could decide the fight's rules it would be fine." Kurapika replied in a neat and calm tone.

"Hmm, yes...here's what I suggest; A fight to the death! We fight until the other fighter admits defeat or until he dies! But...supposing that you assume you fail during the fight...I can't guarantee I'll stop hitting!" Majitani replied.

"Okay. Fine for me."

The still calm tone of Kurapika's tone was enough to make his opponent wonder if he was stupid or something. Most people, upon meeting Majitani, were scared, but Kurapika didn't seem the least bit effected by it as he removed his tabard and asked if they should go ahead and start.

"Wait! I forgot something. We can't use weapons. It's an hands only fight. Even if we're members of the jury, we're still prisoners. We aren't allowed to use weapons." Majitani said, stopping Kurapika.

Seeing his point, Kurapika pulled out the attached bokken that was his preferred weapon. Without any hesitation, he threw them aside before proceeding to pull out three knives and two shuriken, tossing them aside as well.

Majitani had been sure that Kurapika had weapons on him, but by the way Kurapika easily tossed them aside, it didn't look like he really rely on them. But it didn't matter. Majitani had two trump cards. One in his right arm and the other on his back.

Leorio and Gon, both, were concerned for Kurapika and his well being, but Killua was pretty sure that Kurapika had nothing to fear from Majitani. Kurapika seemed to be able to sense that as well. In hopes to put some fear in Kurapika, Majitani jumped towards him, pulling his right fist back to punch. Kurapika jumped back, Majitani punching the ring floor instead. The stone floor shattered under the power of his punch, surprising Kurapika. Kurapika slide across the floor a few feet, putting him behind Majitani as he stood.

He froze when his eyes landed on the tattoo on Majitani's back. There, tattooed on his right shoulder blade, was a twelve legged spider. Most of them recognized the tattoo instantly as the brand of the Phantom Troope. Majitani honestly believed he had Kurapika fooled, that Kurapika would no longer want to fight him out of fear of going up against a member of the Phantom Troope.

He was wrong.

"Hmm, well? You're pretty damn silent right now? I'm Majitani, one of the four kings of the Troope. Take my first attack for some kind of introduction. If you wish to renounce to the fight, it's now that you have to tell it, because at this moment of the fight, I'm still..."

Majitani trailed off in what he was saying when he noticed the killer aura that seemed to be rolling off Kurapika in waves. He stiffened when he noticed that Kurapika's eyes had started to turn a bright shade of crimson. He stared at Kurapika, taking a step back away from him. And then Kurapika seemed to vanish before his eyes. One moment he was there, and the next, he was right in front of Majitani, grabbing him, roughly, by the face.

Majitani tried to say that he gave, that he lost, but before he could get it out of his mouth, Kurapika slugged him hard across the face, slamming his head into the ring floor.

"Three pieces of advice...One...on the real sign, the members's number is written in the center of the spider. Two...they've already killed so many people that it would be impossible to count the number. Three...don't ever usurp again the name of the Troope, because next time, I'll kill you without hesitation." Kurapika said before grabbing his tabard and weapons and returning to his friends.

"Are you ok, Kurapika?" Leorio asked.

"Yes, I've had nothing." Kurapika replied.

"No, what I mean is...do we risk something approaching you?" Leorio asked.

"I've understood since the beginning that I didn't risk anything against him. I knew also that his tattoo was an imitation, but after seeing that spider, I've seen everything in red. In fact...this happens each time I see a simple spider. I lose my mind and become unrecognizable." Kurapika answered.

Leorio and Gon, who had both been traveling with Kurapika since they all got on the ship together, both felt like that was something that Kurapika probably should have told them from the beginning. Especially since they could have seen a spider anywhere along the road to the Hunter exam. Kurapika dropped to sit on the ground, somewhat sulking in the after math of his actions.

"This certainly means that all my hatred hasn't gone away. And I should rather be delighted..." he remarked more to himself.

Gon, out of ear shot of Kurapika, turned to Leorio, speaking behind a hand.

"We're gonna avoid showing him spiders, aren't we?" Gon asked.

"Yep." Leorio replied without any hesitation.

If that was how Kurapika was going to act in the face of a spider, than they would avoid it at all cost. None of them wanted to get hurt because of Kurapika's reaction to the sight of spiders.

Leorio stepped up then, to take the next match, only to have it pointed out to him that Kurapika's match wasn't over since they had agreed on a death match and Majitani was still alive and had been unable to get out that he forfeited the match. Meaning that the match was still going on. When Leorio told Kurapika to just finish it, Kurapika refused, saying that he couldn't hit an unconscious man.

Leorio tried to use the majority vote to decide on whether Kurapika would finish it or not, finding himself drawn into the whole trap of majority vote, which only caused a huge rift to basically be opened between him and the others.

So they ended up sitting there, waiting for Majitani to wake up on his own.

-0-0-0-0-

 _So far, so good._

The thought was one that ran through Sinthe's head just a few hours into the tower. So far, Hisoka had been manageable. Perhaps it was because of the prisoners they had run into not even an hour into the tower. Since all of them had been sentenced to the prison of Trick Tower for great sins, Sinthe had had no qualms with standing back and letting Hisoka have his fun. It left the man in a good mood as they moved on.

At the moment, they were faced with a door. When they both agreed they wanted to move through the door instead of finding a different path, the door opened letting them into the next room. There, they found a man with horrible scars on his face, sitting on the floor, waiting.

"I was waiting for you! Hisoka! This year, I'm not here to judge you, but to avenge myself." the man declared.

"You know this guy, Hisoka?" Sinthe asked.

"Hmmm...who knows." Hisoka replied.

The scarred man growled, getting to his feet to face Hisoka. It was obvious that he had beef with Hisoka. Even a blind person could feel the angry induced need to kill that was rolling off the man in waves. Sinthe took a few steps back, making Hisoka look at her.

"You don't want in on the fun?" Hisoka teased.

"This is your bone to pick, not mine." Sinthe replied.

She was there to get her Hunter's license, not get dragged into Hisoka's personal issues. The scarred man with the bone to pick, seemed just fine with that. He drew a hooked, short blade then, focusing his attention on Hisoka.

"Since last year's exam, I can only think about one thing: killing you." the man said.

"Hm...I don't have the impression that you've made any progress." Hisoka remarked.

Sinthe tilted her head to the side, watching in interest as Hisoka's enemy drew a second blade.

"You haven't seen all." the man declared, spinning the blades with an ease that spoke of a lot of practice.

"Two billhooks?" Hisoka asked, is if to say he wasn't impressed.

The man tossed the two billhooks into the air, drawing two more out. With ease, he juggled the four weapons, grinning with pride in himself. While it was an impressive feat to master the use of four billhooks at once, Sinthe knew that even that wouldn't kill Hisoka. Hisoka was like a really bad cold...he just kept coming back even when you prayed to every god in existence for him to go away.

With that in mind, Sinthe stood back and watched Hisoka dodge the billhooks, but the other man was fast. He got inside Hisoka's guard, managing to leave a shallow cut in Hisoka's right shoulder and another at the left side of his waist. Despite the injury, Hisoka's expression didn't change.

"Top or the bottom, from the left or the right, in front or at the back! My countless blades are gonna chase you and cut you. You won't be able to avoid my attacks! You'll understand what pain is! And you'll die!" the man declared.

He obviously didn't know Hisoka.

Sinthe, her hands on her hips, watched as Hisoka snatched two of the billhooks out of the air. He made it look as easy as catching a harmless ball tossed his way.

"I recognize they seem unbeatable, but if you achieve blocking them one time...well, it's easier than I thought. Nice effort. But so useless. Good bye." Hisoka said.

Sinthe adverted her eyes as Hisoka took the man's head, leaving it sitting in the middle of the room. Done, Hisoka turned to Sinthe, sly grin back on his face.

"Shall we proceed?" he asked.

"Gladly."

In just six hours and seventeen minutes, they reached the bottom of the tower as the first two to finish. Now it was just a matter of waiting out the remaining time until the end of the round. The two of them looked around the room before Hisoka turned to her.

"Care to play a game to pass the time?" he offered.

Sinthe turned to look up at him. He offered her a grin that was probably meant to appear somewhat innocent, but nothing the man did could appear anywhere close to that. She merely scoffed at him and shook her head.

"No, thank you. You know I don't play nice."

Hisoka's grin grew at that simply stated reply. He chuckled lowly to himself.

"Neither do I." he admitted.

"So I have seen."

With that, Sinthe grew silent, turning away from him to find somewhere to sit against a wall. She didn't say another word, or make another sound for the next six hours, deciding to use the time to rest. They were still sitting there in silence when another door opened, admitting Gittarakuru. This placed Gittarakuru in third place with a total of twelve hours and two minutes having lapsed. Right behind him came Hanzo, placing fourth with twelve hours and three minutes having lapsed.

Hanzo, seeing that Hisoka, Sinthe, and Gittarakuru were already there, sulked since he had hoped to be the first one to the bottom of the tower. Though there wasn't anything he could really do about it. Sinthe, from where she sat next to Hisoka, gave her head a shake. She would have to admit that Hanzo was a rather carefree ninja. Gittarakuru turned to look down at Hisoka and Sinthe. Sinthe knew, with one look, that he wanted to speak to Hisoka.

Rising to her feet, she decided it was best to give them their space. She didn't need to know what the two of them were about to talk about.

"Not going to stay?" Hisoka asked her.

"No. I don't need to be dragged into you two's schemes. I'm just fine, thanks." Sinthe replied, flapping a hand at them as she walked away.

"I see she's still good company." Gittarakuru remarked.

Hisoka chuckled at that. Sinthe, despite her upbringing, actually had her own set of morals, which he found adorable, and usually, he conflicted with those morals. If it involved him, she usually decided that it was in her best interest to turn a blind eye. Which worked for him.

"She's interesting company, if nothing else." Hisoka said.

Sinthe glanced back at the two, having heard the whole thing. Though they couldn't see her eyes, they knew she was giving them a stern look. Heaving a sigh when all Hisoka did was grin at her, Sinthe turned away and found a seat away from therm.

It was going to be a long fifty-five hours.

-0-0-0-0-

After a few hours, Killua started to wonder if Majitani might, after all, be dead. From where they stood, and with the low lighting, Leorio couldn't tell.

"We'd like to go and see if he's still alive! How can we believe he'll open an eye sometime? He might already be dead!" Leorio called across.

"I told you a little while ago. He just fainted." replied one of the two remaining prisoners still cloaked.

"It's already been several hours! We can't be content with what you're telling us!" Leorio snapped.

"Well, in that case, would you like to bet? Is he dead? Or alive? Let's bet on it."

And with those words, started Leorio's match with Lelut, the only female among their opponents. Her proposal of a match was simple. Each side would have a total of fifty hours in which to use as bets. She and Leorio would take turns suggesting bets. If they lost the bet, whatever time they bet would be subtracted from their fifty hours and added to their opponents. The first side to hit zero hours, would lose. If Leorio lost, then the amount of in which they had to reach the bottom of the tower, would be reduced by fifty hours. If Lelut lost, then her prison sentence would be increased by fifty years.

Leorio, though Kurapika protested, accepted. The first bet...whether Majitani was alive or not. Leorio bet ten hours that he was. Leorio check Majitani, checking his pulse and even opening his eyes to examine them. Since Majitani was alive, Leorio won the bet. He won the next bet too, when he bet that Majitani was only faking being unconscious. When that was revealed via Leorio threatening to drop him off the side of the ring, Majitani declared he had enough and that he gave up, making Kurapika the winner of his match and bringing their score up to two wins.

But with the next bet, Leorio lost ten hours.

Lelut suggested they bet on her gender; male or female. If he didn't believe her, Leorio was free to examine her body to find out whether she told the truth or not. Of course, just so he could examine her body, he bet she was male, losing him the bet. The last bet was who would win Rock, Paper, Scissors. Leorio lost, meaning they now lost fifty hours off the time they had left to escape the tower.

This left them with only one match left in which they could win; Killua verses Johness.

Leorio instantly felt his blood run cold. Johness was a serial killer, known simply as Johness the Cutter. He had no particular logic to his kills and didn't care about age, or sex, but all one hundred and forty-six people he killed, were reduced to nothing more than shreds of flesh under his bare hands. All bodies were ripped into, no less than fifty parts and it was all done with his bare hands.

Leorio was sure that Killua was done for, though Killua wasn't concerned in the least. He knew he didn't have anything to fear and, to the great shock, and even some horror, of everyone there, not two minutes passed before Killua, effortlessly, ripped Johness' still beating heart out of his chest.

With that, they won and were able to pass the prisoners and move on. They were lead to a small room supplied with places to sit and relax, a shelf of books, and other small things. They would spend the fifty hours Leorio lost, there.

Now to just waste away the next fifty hours.

END

Kyandi: While it's funny to watch others being roped into Hisoka's schemes, I wouldn't want to be roped in.

Sinthe: And yet you laugh at me.

Kyandi: Because it's not me.

Sinthe: That's some empathy you have there.

Kyandi: I know right? I'm a saint.

Sinthe: Sarcasm is unbecoming of you.

Kyandi: Really? I think it suits me just fine.

Sinthe: That's what's sad.

Kyandi: Yeah, yeah. Everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We'll be back really soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	5. Friends

Kyandi: We're back!

Sinthe: Greetings, Kyandiacs.

Kyandi: I couldn't sleep last night, so I've been working on new chapters.

Sinthe: When do you ever really sleep at night?

Kyandi: Good point. I don't get it. Even if it's a medical condition, it's still so weird. I can't sleep at night and spend the whole night, tossing and turning, yet the moment the sun rises...I can't stay awake.

Sinthe: Welcome to the world of narcoleptics.

Kyandi: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the point is, I couldn't sleep, so I have brought you all another chapter to read! Enjoy and review, please!

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 5 Friends

Nine hours and forty-three minutes.

That was the amount of time that Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and Tompa had when they were finally released from their room of delayment. Really feeling the time crunch, they rushed, coming to two pairs of stairs. One led up and the other twisted downward. The majority of them chose to head up, feeling pretty sure that going with the obvious choice would lead them into a trap. They ran for thirty minutes only to end right back up at the ring where they had fought two days ago.

They hurried on, taking the stairs down and facing many more traps, including a large boulder that was let loose on them to chase them down a hall. Before they knew it, they had only fifty minutes left. Finally, they came to the room that held their last choice. The walls were covered in weapons and they were given the choice to choose one of two roads; the long route or the short route.

The long and difficult route would allow all five of them to pass on, but would take no less than forty-five hours. The short and easy route would take less than three minutes, but would only allow three people to pass. The other two would have to be chained to the wall, hence the weapons in the room.

Instantly, a fight broke out over what route they would choose. The solution, surprisingly, came from Gon who insisted they choose the long route. Once the door opened, they used axes from the weapons in the room to chip away at the wall separating the long route from the short route, letting them take the short and easy route with barely a minute to spare.

Thus, all five passed the third phase of the exam.

"End of the round time! Third round. Number of participants who reached the goal; twenty-five(including one dead)."

They were let out of the tower, where they met the examiner, Lippo, standing by the shore line. The short man greeted them with a grin.

"Congratulations to all of you for exiting the tower. You have only two more trials: the fourth round and the final." he told them. "The fourth round will take place on Zebiru's Island."

He gestured to a far off island behind him. What, exactly, the next task would be, they would just have to wait to find out.

"Well! Let's hurry." Lippo said, snapping his fingers.

Another man came forward then, with a box in his hands that had a hole in the top. He sat it on a little table and stepped back. Lippo explained to them that for the next phase of the exam, they would have a lottery.

"What for?" one person asked.

"To determine the hunters and the prey." Lippo explained. "Inside the box there are twenty-four numbered cards. These numbers are just the ones that were given to you in the beginning of the competition."

A few of those gathered, reached up to touch the numbered tags that were attached to their clothes. Standing off to the side with Hisoka, even Sinthe reached up to touch the number forty-three badge attached to the cloak.

"You will all pick a card." Lippo said, looking around at them all. "Well, pick a card in the order you arrived at the tower's bottom."

With that, Hisoka was the first to step forward, reaching into the box to grab a card. He retreated back to the group and, to Gon's surprise, Sinthe stepped forward, the cloaked applicant moving swiftly to the box's side to draw out a number.

"Killua! Sinthe was second to the bottom!" Gon whispered to Killua.

"Yeah, I see. He must be pretty quick." Killua replied back. "Then again, he seems to be working with Hisoka, on and off, so they probably teamed up and finished together."

Slowly, applicant after applicant, stepped forward to draw a card until they all had one. Each were allowed to look at the number printed on their card. Before any of them looked, though, most of them removed their tag from sight and tucked them away. Even the number forty-three tag on Sinthe's cloak vanished into the dark red folds before Sinthe looked at the card she had drawn.

Hisoka leaned over, peeking at her card. When he couldn't remember who the number belonged to, he shrugged. To make it fair, Sinthe yanked his hand towards her to peer at his number. She wasn't sure what she would do if he ended up with her number, for she was sure he would go full out against her in order to pass. She was relieved when she found it wasn't her number. She released his hand.

"You can continue to hold on." Hisoka teased.

"Not even in your wettest dreams, Hisoka." Sinthe replied in good nature.

She knew he was just teasing, as he always did. Hisoka never took anything, outside of fighting, seriously, and his chuckle at her reply, proved it.

"Now, your personal number and the one you just picked have been recorded in this machine. Consequently, you're free to do whatever you want with this card. The participant corresponding to the number you have picked, becomes, from this time, your target. To each one his own target. What you have to grab is the numeral sheet of your target. If you succeed in taking your target's numeral sheet...three points! If you keep your own numeral sheet...three points. The other sheets are only one point. To reach the end, you'll need a total of six points." Lippo told them.

That meant there were several ways in which they could finish this phase. They could keep their tag and get their target's, they could keep their tag and collect three others that weren't their target's, they could end up losing their tag and collect their target's and three others, or they could lose their tag and collect six one point tags. It would just depend on their situation.

"You'll have to get six points in the time when you're on Zebiru's Island." Lippo said, revealing that they had seven days in which to collect the points.

Seven days to hunt down a target, take their tag, and then manage to survive and hang onto the tags. It would be a challenge, seeing how all of them had managed to make it through three phases already. Some had it easier than others, but others...not so much.

Gon was on the "not so much" end of things seeing how he had drawn Hisoka's tag number.

He has seen Hisoka fight and knew that he wouldn't win facing Hisoka head on as he currently was. Gon also had what Killua had said earlier, running around in his head. Killua had said that Sinthe and Hisoka seemed to be working together, off and on. If Sinthe decided to work with Hisoka during this round...Gon wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sinthe had kind of stuck to the background for the most part. There, but not really making much of an impression.

For all Gon knew, Sinthe could just be piggie backing on Hisoka's success. Then again, Gon wasn't sure Hisoka would stand for a weakling riding on his coat tails. Gon turned his eyes to Sinthe's cloaked form as he thought this. He was sure that Sinthe had to be able to, at least, hold his own. He just hoped that Sinthe decided to go at this round alone.

With the explanation done, they were all loaded up onto a ship where they rested for two hours while they were transported to the island. Everyone, without meeting the eyes of each other, spent the time quietly, but intently, trying to figure out who it was they had drawn. Sinthe had been able to sit back and watch as each of the others made it to the bottom of the tower. She knew exactly who her prey was. But this prey presented a problem of his own.

It would just take careful planning on Sinthe's part, though...hopefully.

Two, very tense, hours later, they arrived at the island.

"Please leave the boat in the order of your arrival at the bottom of the tower during the third round! An interval of two minutes will separate each candidate leaving the boat!" announced the overly cheerful hostess of the ferry. "You'll stay exactly a week on the island! That's the time you have to get the six points and to come back here. Departure of the first candidate!"

Hisoka left the boat then, calmly disappearing into the forest that covered the island. Sinthe waited at the edge of the ramp until she could depart as well. In this, Sinthe was glad to be one of the first ones to the base of the tower. Those who left the boat first, would have the advantage in the fact that they could hide before the others and sit back and watch for their prey's movements. That is, unless their prey left the boat before them.

"Second candidate, depart!"

Sinthe left the boat just as calmly as Hisoka did, but the moment she stepped into the first shadows of the trees...she seemed to vanish from sight. So went the whole thing, each person leaving, one after the other. As the twenty-second person, Gon took off at a run, instantly setting out to find Hisoka, while the man targeting him, followed close behind.

With all participants off the boat, the fourth phase begin.

Though he didn't know it at the time, Gon would train hard and finally manage to take Hisoka's tag, only to have it, and his own, taken from him and then returned by none other than Hisoka himself who claimed that once Gon could punch him in the face, as he did him, then, and only then, would he take the tag back.

He wasn't happy about it, but it would be a new goal for Gon to aim for.

-0-0-0-0-

Killua was not happy.

Three days had passed since the beginning of the fourth phase and the whole time, someone had been tailing him. He had tried, a couple of times, to get the person to come out and face him, but the person never responded. He even informed the guy that it was just a waste of his time because he would never leave him an opening for which to attack him and take his tag.

The guy following him, Imori, swore to himself that he was simply waiting for an opening, waiting for Killua to fall asleep. In truth...he was just scared.

It took the arrival of his brothers, Umori and Amori, to finally make him be honest with himself. As well as alert Killua to his location. Seeing that their brother still hadn't taken Killua's tag, the two beat up on their brother, calling him an idiot for being fearful of a child.

"Imbecile! You're scared without us? You can't fight him, can you?" Amori demanded.

"No! That's not it at all!" Imori swore. "The poor kid, never-the-less, I can't hit him! So I thought I would only steal his tag while he's sleeping."

That didn't fly with his brothers. With pressure from them, Imori walked up to Killua and kicked him in the chest. Killua was knocked backwards off his feet and flat onto his back, his hands still in his pockets, but it didn't do anything to him.

"I didn't miss him! He must have really felt that." Imori bragged.

"That might have been the case...with any other child but him."

The suddenly speaking voice had the brothers turning. Killua easily jumped back to his feet, turning to look as well. Out of the shadow of a nearby tree, stepped Sinthe. Killua was surprised. He hadn't sensed Sinthe approach at all. Sinthe came to a stop at Killua's side, looking down at him. From this angle, Killua could just make out the slim line of Sinthe's chin. Sinthe stared at him for a moment before turning to eye the brothers.

"You'd be better off trying to survive jumping off a cliff onto jagged rocks below." Sinthe warned.

"No one asked you! What? Are you partnering up with him?" Umori asked.

"Not really. It doesn't look like he needs my assistance." Sinthe said calmly, looking back at Killua who now had Imori's tag in his hand.

"Number 198? That's not the sheet I was looking for, but it's really close." Killua remarked before looking up at Sinthe. "Is it your's?"

Sinthe dug around in his cloak before a red glove clothed hand appeared to show Killua the card she had drawn out of the box. Killua looked at it and nodded before Sinthe tucked the card back in her cloak. Killua turned back to face the brothers, Sinthe remaining at his side.

"Perhaps number 199 is one of you two." Killua remarked.

The three brothers tensed up. It was obvious that Killua was not ordinary kid and if she had managed to be the second one to reach the bottom of the tower, Sinthe couldn't be a ordinary person either. They were going to have to take it serious. Unknown to them, Sinthe passed something to Killua who, with a grin, jumped into action. All the brothers knew was one moment, Killua was standing next to Sinthe, and the next, he was behind Amori, kicking his knees out to lower him to his level. Killua then held sharpened, razor sharp nails to Amori's neck.

"Don't move. My fingernails are sharper than the blade of a knife." Killua warned him, taking his badge.

He looked at the number before calling out to Sinthe who still remained where she was standing.

"Him, he's number 197." Killua called. "Let me confess something...in such a situation, I have absolutely no intuition."

With that said, Killua turned to Umori, looking up at him.

"You're number 199 aren't you? Would you give me you tag then?" Killua asked.

A gasp from behind Umori, had him turning. Sinthe currently had Imori on his knees, twisting one of his arms up behind his back at an angle that had the guy just about in tears.

"I might not be partnered with him, but I'm not above lending a persuasive hand here and there." Sinthe remarked lowly.

With both of his brothers held hostage and no real way out of the situation, Umori grit his teeth and pulled out his tag. He tossed it to Killua, who thanked him before releasing Amori. Killua glanced towards Sinthe, who released Imori's arm, the guy instantly grabbing his abused shoulder. Killua then turned back to the two extra tags in his hand.

"Since I don't need this one..."

Killua trailed off before taking one and throwing it as hard as he could in one direction and then throwing the second in the opposite direction. Considering his strength, the badges flew a great way into the distance. Killua then turned to the brothers.

"You have five days left to find them, good luck." Killua said, joining Sinthe.

With a grin from Killua, the two vanished quickly into the trees. Only when there was a good distance between them and the brothers, did they stop. Killua turned to Sinthe, pulling a badge out of his pocket and holding it out to Sinthe.

"This is your target, right?" he asked.

In his hand was badge number 198.

"Yes, thank you. I'm sure that ninja has noticed his mistake by now." Sinthe remarked, taking the badge from Killua.

Both of them had noticed Hanzo hiding nearby. Since 199 had been Killua's target and 198 had been Sinthe's, and they were both sure they weren't Hanzo's target, they had assumed that Hanzo was after number 197. Sinthe, who had acquired an extra badge that was only worth one point to her, had handed the badge over to Killua, who had swapped it out with the badge of Sinthe's target before throwing it.

Sinthe held up the badge to look at it before tucking it somewhere under her cloak. Killua, at her thanks, just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not a problem. It wasn't like I needed it." Killua said.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Sinthe asked.

"I am curious about something." Killua replied.

"Oh? What is that?"

"What do you look like under that cloak and hood?" Killua asked.

For a moment, Sinthe hesitated, falling silent instead of answering. It was as if she was debating about something. And then, Sinthe heaved a sigh that was barely audible. Reaching up, Sinthe lowered the brightly colored hood and swept back the cloak, revealing her true appearance. Killua's eyes widened as he looked Sinthe over.

"You're...!"

"Please don't say anything. I would like to keep this quiet for a while longer if possible." Sinthe said, cutting him off as she yanked the hood back up.

Sinthe carefully tucked the cloak back around herself, completely vanishing beneath the cloak and hood, once more. Killua, understanding what she meant, nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Killua told him. "But I've seen you before."

"You have. My brother and Hisoka both know one of your older brothers, so I've been around now and then." Sinthe replied.

"Yeah, the last time, Mom couldn't shut up about you for two days." Killua remarked, his expression showing his annoyance.

"Sorry about that. No offense, but I try to have little to do with your parents and grandfather since they know my grandfather. The last thing I need is for him to start nosing into my life again." Sinthe replied.

"It's fine."

Sinthe nodded, glad that Killua understood.

"Good. Seems we'll both pass this phase as well. Do you mind company for the remaining days?" Sinthe asked.

"Why not. Not like there's anything else to do." Killua replied.

Sinthe and Killua found a place to bunk down, Sinthe producing a bag from under his cloak. From that, she pulled a lighter to start a fire, and food. An hour later, they sat, silently eating the stew Sinthe made from odds and ends in her bag.

"You're not bad of a cook." Killua remarked, basically inhaling his food.

"How can you tell what it taste like with how you're inhaling it?" Sinthe asked, amusement sounding in her tone.

"I can taste it!" Killua protested.

"I would worry for your poor stomach if not for the fact that I watched as you drank a couple of those poisoned drinks that man Tompa was offering to rookies before the start of the exam and not suffer a thing." Sinthe remarked.

"Did you drink it?" Killua asked, mouth full of the provision bread Sinthe had been carrying.

"He wouldn't get anywhere near me with Hisoka at my side. Besides, I could see the ill intent he was trying to hide in his eyes. I knew he meant ill will and was no good of a person." Sinthe answered.

"Yeah, you can say that again. He was a pain in the back the whole last round."

"So you had him in your group? I feel for you. I was surprised to see that your whole group made it to the bottom. Most of the others showed up either alone or in groups of two, maybe three." Sinthe said.

"What about you?" Killua asked. "How were you able to finish in second?"

"Hisoka and I ended up paired together. Much to his joy. I swear, that man sees me as nothing but something entertaining for him to mess with." Sinthe told him.

"Did you have that needle covered guy in your group too?" Killua asked, refilling his bowl.

"No. I would of had two problem people in my group if I did." Sinthe said.

Killua gave her a questioning look when she said that. Sinthe just shook her head when it was obvious that Killua didn't know. She was not going to be the one to tell him.

"Forget about it. The only good part about being paired with Hisoka, is that we've worked together before and, therefore, were able to reach the bottom of the tower in six hours."

"So you got to sit there alone with Hisoka, huh."

"The man is oddly chatty when it's just the two of you." Sinthe remarked. "I wasn't quite sure I appreciated the break from silence or not. Then again, when all he ever does is tease me, I prefer silence. At least...silence from him."

Killua grinned. Sinthe was an okay person...for someone older, that was. After seeing Sinthe for himself, Killua had pegged her to be about Kurapika's age, so about sixteen or seventeen years old. Killua was pretty sure that if they had had Sinthe instead of Tompa with them in the last round, a lot of bickering and arguing could have been spared.

"Killua."

Killua looked up at Sinthe as she sat his bowl on the ground beside her and turned to look at him. Over head, the sun was setting, the night time creatures of the forest coming out.

"Yeah?" Killua asked.

"I rather like your company. I kind of envy your friends. Would you, perhaps, consider being my friend as well?"

Killua's eyes widened slightly. Growing up the way he had, he hadn't been allowed to have friends. The whole assassin thing kind of ruined that for him. Gon was the first person he could really consider to be his friend. Now, Sinthe wanted to be his friend to. Though, after seeing the secret Sinthe hid under her cloak, Killua could understand if Sinthe didn't really have any friends. The thought of having another friend was just too good for Killua to pass up. Besides...he liked Sinthe.

"Okay!"

Sinthe nodded before shifting forward to hold one hand out to Killua. Killua looked at the hand for a moment before taking it. Thin fingers closed around his hand in a friendly grip.

"Then I hope you can come to consider me a friend you can rely on." Sinthe said.

"Yeah!"

Killua couldn't help but feel like coming to the Hunter exam was the best choice he had ever had because now, he had two friends. And now, both he and Sinthe would pass to the final round of the exam. He only hoped Gon had passed too.

Though, knowing Gon...he probably did.

-0-0-0-0-

" _In a while, the fourth round of the trials will end. All the participants are invited to come back to the starting point of the test. The participants must make themselves known in the time of one hour. After this delay, the ones who haven't shown themselves will be disqualified. Please pay close attention to this information. Tags stolen from now on will not be counted. Verifications will be made and people who break this rule will be disqualified._ "

The announcement sounded out over the whole island, reaching even to the farthest reach of the island. Those who had their required points, begun to spill out of the woods, appearing one after the other.

"Come on, Sinthe!" Killua called, walking clear of the trees.

"I'm right behind you, Killua." Sinthe replied, appearing from the trees behind him.

All in all, ten participants out of the original four hundred and five, passed on to the final stage of the exam. They were all picked up by the boat and transferred onto to the Association's aircraft to be taken to the site of the final phase. There, three days later, the examiners gathered to have dinner, while the examinees rested.

"Out of the ten left, we have seven new guys? Ho, ho, ho! This year is a good year!" Netero said happily.

"Does that often happen?" Buhara asked.

"No, not really. Often, there's a gap before this. Ten years pass without any new guy succeeding. And then, suddenly, we have a lot of new guys with a great future ahead of them! It's the fourth time it's happened since I've been president." Netero replied.

"By the way, what are we gonna do for the last round?" Statoz asked.

"That's true, we've been told nothing!" Buhara remarked.

"Its wonderful to talk of the great newbies, but the last round hasn't begun yet." Menchi agreed.

"Yes, but...I'd like to make them hold unusual fights." Netero remarked. "To set up this round, I shall begin by meeting them one after another."

With this decided, an announcement was made that Netero would soon call all of the participants in to talk to them. Sinthe, sitting alone in a window sill, a book in her hands, looked up at the announcement. It probably had something to do with the final round of the exam. She remained sitting where she was until she was called, her name and number sounding over the speaker system.

Sinthe closed her book, tucking it away in her bag before getting to her feet. She found her way to the announced room, knocking before entering. There, sitting across a low table, was Netero.

"Please sit down." he offered.

Sinthe approached the table, dropping to sit on the provided cushion on the other side of the table from Netero. Netero smiled at the cloaked youth across the table from him.

"I'd like to ask you some questions to know more about you. Above all, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Netero asked.

Sinthe was silent for a moment, as if considering what exactly to say or how to say it. There was one thing she wanted to do without the help of her brother and the rest of the Troupe. Something she had wanted to find out for quite a while now. With a Hunter's license, she could do it. After a moment, she spoke.

"There is something I wish to find...a truth I must know. I am prepared to do just about anything in order to find it, and without the assistance of those closest to me. I don't want to drag them into this. Not to mention that it was a promise towards my own future. I don't break promises." Sinthe replied.

"Oh?"

The answer was somewhat vague as Sinthe didn't feel the need to explain what this "truth" was that she was looking for. But, despite that, Netero liked the firmness in which Sinthe stated that she didn't break promises.

"Alright. Out of the nine other candidates, which one retains the most of your attention?" Netero asked.

"Hmm..I would have to say number 99 and the small group he has been working with. For strictly personal reasons." Sinthe replied, saying no more in explanation.

"Among the other candidates, who do you want to fight against the least?" Netero asked.

"Though I would be least inclined to fight against number 99, I would not hesitate to fight anyone if that is what I need to do. No one is off limits."

Though, she wouldn't relish fighting against Hisoka. He would take that fight all too seriously and a serious Hisoka was something she would rather avoid.

Netero glanced up at Sinthe. There was no malice in the reply, just a simply stated truth. Most of the others, when asked who they wanted to fight the least, either said a person they feared fighting against, or the very person that caught most of their attention. What really was amusing to Netero was that Sinthe was one of the group of those that personally caught the attention of the examiners, but she had failed to catch the attention of a single participant.

It was almost as if thoughts of Sinthe were as fleeting as the shadows at their feet.

Only those who were purposely trying to keep an eye on Sinthe, seemed able to really recognize the potential she held. It was interesting to say the least, and would be even more so when the other participants found out about the secret Sinthe was keeping under the hood and cloak.

He dismissed Sinthe then. Sinthe stood and bowed respectfully to him before leaving. She had a pretty good idea why Netero had asked such a question. Sinthe had a feeling that if she didn't play her cards right, she would end up fighting against Killua anyway. Not that she couldn't. Both she and Killua knew that it wouldn't be from any kind of person grudge, so all would be well, no matter what happened.

It wasn't long after that, that Netero announced that they would be arriving at the location for the final exam soon and that those who passed this round, would become Hunters. In total, they spent three days on the aircraft. By the time they landed at a hotel managed by the Hunter committee, Sinthe was glad to finally get off the aircraft and stretch her legs.

"I hope that everyone has rested well. We are here in a hotel managed by the committee. Until the end of the final round, this place will be yours. The last trial will be in the form of duels of one verses one." Netero explained once they were all gathered in a large, open room.

Sinthe had a feeling that that would along the lines of what the final round would be. It was kind of obvious with the questions he had asked all of the participants. Netero turned to a cloth covered board behind him.

"The groups are the following." Netero said, yanking the clothe off.

Sinthe was a little confused on what she was looking at, at first. The bracket listed on the board was...well, chaos. Instead of being listed out in a normal tournament style bracket, it was laid out in a fashion that Sinthe couldn't even describe. The first match would be numbers 294 and 405, which meant it would be Gon verses Hanzo. Whoever won, would move on to then face number forty-three, Sinthe herself.

"Good. And now the rules in this last round. It's very simple...one victory and you pass the exam." Netero announced.

That surprised Sinthe. All she would need was one win. But then how would this whole tournament thing work out?

"In other words, in this tournament, winners quit the game one by one. The principle of the pyramid is to designate the loser, not the winner. Do you understand?" Netero asked them.

"So there will only be one eliminated?" Hanzo asked.

"Exactly!" Netero said.

Now Sinthe got it. Instead of winner moving up in the bracket, the loser moved up. In the end, instead of having a single winner, they would have a single loser. A sort of reverse battle tournament.

"Consequently, each person has at least two opportunities to win. Any questions?" Netero asked.

"Why isn't the pyramid well balanced?" Bodoro asked.

"That's a logical question. These groups were chosen using the results you had in previous rounds. Simply, the ones who got good marks up until now have a better chance of passing." Netero explained.

"I don't like it. Explain to us how you counted the points." Killua demanded.

"Impossible." Netero replied.

"'scuse me!?" Killua snapped.

"The way we counted lies in absolute secret. I can't reveal everything to you. However, I can still give you some explanations of our ways. First, the basis of the evaluation. They're based on three essential points. Strength, mind, and charisma. Now, the explanation. In the evaluation of strength, these things are taken into account: speed, suppleness, resistance, and use of the five senses. The evaluation of the mind, as for it, it regroups the uses of resistance, adaptation, appreciation, and creation. But this only corresponds to references' measures. Because what allowed you to reach the end is first your charisma." Netero explained. "It's something difficult to quantify. "Something"...the essential component of a Hunter. The results come from all I just told you and all you told me. That's all."

Sinthe understood his explanation...more or less. While she was rather alright when it came to strength, fairly decent in all that was taken in account for strength and was even good in the evaluation of the mind...Sinthe highly doubted she could score fairly highly in charisma. She could talk logic, to somewhat make others see her way, but she wasn't really a people person. Unless it was her brother and the other members of the Troupe. She had all of them wrapped around her little finger. Well...most of them anyway.

With that said, why did she rank better on the pyramid than Killua? He was strong, both in strength and mind. It was probably because Sinthe was more charismatic than him. She did seem to get along with people better than him.

"The fights' rules are simple." Netero continued, drawing Sinthe out of her thoughts. "Weapons are allowed, and pushing your opponent to quit gives you the victory. However, if you kill your adversary, you'll be disqualified! So, if that ever happens, the only disqualified candidate will be designated and the exam will end." Netero explained.

Well, Sinthe could instantly think of one person who would be likely to have to hold himself back since he couldn't kill anyone. Sinthe half turned, glancing over at Hisoka. As if feeling her eyes on him, Hisoka turned to look at Sinthe, giving her a wide grin. Sinthe turned away from him as it was announced that they would start with the first match.

Hanzo verses Gon.

One of the men in suits that had been present with Netero, stepped forward then, claiming he would be the referee for the match.

"And we meet again!" Hanzo said, looking at the ref. "You were the one that followed me during the fourth round, weren't you?"

"You saw it?" the man asked, surprised.

"Of course. Each candidate was followed by a junior during this round? I couldn't have been the only one to have noticed it." Hanzo remarked.

It was obvious that Gon hadn't noticed. The same could be said for Leorio. Killua had noticed, as has Kurapika.

"I noticed but I didn't know if I should have told you." Kurapika told Leorio.

"You noticed too, right Sinthe?" Killua asked, looking up at Sinthe, who nodded in reply.

"Though the poor man lost sight of me a few times, he was oddly persistent in finding me again." Sinthe said lowly.

Killua grinned. He was sure that Sinthe, if she wanted to, could have given the man the slip for good. But to use that much energy on something that insignificant, was just a waste of time. Sinthe didn't seem like the type of person that liked to waste her time and energy.

The ref called for the match to start then, making them all focus on Hanzo and Gon. Gon, while fast with a strong kick off, wasn't fast enough to escape Hanzo. Hanzo laid him out with a swift and hard chop to the back of the neck. The hit was enough to make Gon check out for a brief moment. Sinthe was sure it would make her sluggish too. No one took a hit like that to the back of the neck and not suffer in some way.

Well...no normal person.

Hanzo woke Gon back up, the boy still too stun to move properly. He demanded that Gon give up. Gon refused, his tongue stuck out in reply, which only earned him a solid wack across the head hard enough to make Gon's world spin. Gon refused again, making Hanzo hurt him even more. Leorio, in defense of his friend, got upset, but there was nothing he could do about it. The match was between Hanzo and Gon and if he tried to step in, it would only get Gon disqualified.

Leorio yelled at Gon to just give in before the damage became too much for his body to recover from. Not that Gon was really listening. He wouldn't give up. Not now and not ever.

And Sinthe knew that **this** was the whole reason behind these kinds of matches. Netero had purposely set it up this way, knowing full well that none of those present would easily admit their defeat. Not after all they had gone through just to reach this point.

Gon was just more stubborn than most.

Attack after attack, Gon refused to give up until he lay on the floor, beat up and in a bad position. He had even spit up blood quite a lot. Hanzo obviously wasn't playing around. Leorio could barely contain his own anger and concern. And just when he was about to march into the fight, Gon got back to his feet, insisting that he was fine and that he could bare with it. Hanzo, growing annoyed, knocked Gon flat on his stomach and twisted his arm up behind his back, threatening to break it if he didn't give up.

Gon refused.

With a resounding crack like that of a gun shot, Hanzo did exactly as he threatened. Under the cover of his cloak, Sinthe flexed her fingers, really feeling for Gon as the boy let out a yell of pain. Sinthe had had a limb broken a few times throughout her life and knew just how badly it hurt. By this point, even Kurapika was about to snap. Both cheered, though, when Gon, despite the pain, managed to land a kick on Hanzo, who was stupid enough to put his face in kicking range.

Though he wrote it off easily, Sinthe could tell that Hanzo was impressed. Resorting to his last threat, Hanzo produced a blade from under the bandages wrapped around his forearm and pointed the tip at Gon's head, threatening to cut off one of his legs if he didn't give up. Gon simply replied back that it wasn't good because, while he didn't want his leg cut off, he didn't want to lose either.

Sinthe thought it was a pretty straight forward choice, but apparently not.

Though she liked his spunk. She was sure her brother and the others would have loved watching Gon. He seemed like the type that would have made quick friends with Nobunaga and Uvo. Once he learned to use nen, Sinthe had a good feeling that Gon just might be an Enhancer.

Several of those watching couldn't help laughing when Hanzo blew his top at this. Even Sinthe had to raise a hand to cover her mouth, though the very light shaking of her shoulders was a give away that she was laughing.

Gon, when threatened again, insisted that even if Hanzo cut off his leg, he wouldn't admit defeat. Even going so far as to point out that he would probably bleed to death and that Hanzo would then be disqualified. He effectively had Hanzo backed into a corner with that argument. Hanzo tried to argue against him, but Gon didn't back down. In the end, Hanzo recognized that he wasn't going to get through Gon's thick skull.

So, Hanzo admitted his own defeat and turned to walk away.

Of course, being the little air head that he could sometimes-more often than not-be, Gon refused to accept that, leading Hanzo to knocking him out so he couldn't back out of accepting his victory. Gon was carted away to have his injuries seen to and to be put down to rest. The next match was Kurapika verses Hisoka.

This match lasted for only a short while, before Hisoka whispered something to Kurapika. He then turned and announced his defeat, leaving Kurapika as the victor. Sinthe looked up at Hisoka, silently question him when he passed her. Hisoka merely gave her a smile. He was planning something and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. They moved on swiftly into the next match.

"The third match...Hanzo verses Sinthe."

Sinthe handed her bag over to Killua before stepping forward, the deep red cloak softly shifting. When she stood before Hanzo, there was an obvious difference in size. When the match was started, Hanzo looked down at Sinthe, who didn't move an inch.

"I don't suppose you'll back down, will you?" Hanzo asked.

"Would anyone here?" was the reply.

"No. I guess not. Fine then." Hanzo replied.

Hanzo moved quickly and had the blade normally hidden under his arm bandages, swinging towards Sinthe. Sinthe rocked back, the blade passing harmlessly through the material of her cloak without cutting her. Hanzo quickly followed it up with a kick now that Sinthe was off balance. Sinthe didn't even try to dodge or stop the kick, taking the kick right across the chest. There was enough force behind the kick that it sent Sinthe's smaller form flying back to crash into a wall. Dust flew up as the wall cracked and crumbled, hiding all but the outline of Sinthe's form.

Hanzo was pretty sure that was all it would take. He really didn't expect much from Sinthe.

"Well, this is misfortunant. I liked this cloak."

Hanzo turned, his eyes finding his opponent as the dust and smoke cleared and the cloaked form of Sinthe held up one completely tattered side of the cloak that hid the body underneath. Sinthe seemed rather unaffected by Hanzo's attack aside from a ripped cloak and the bits of plaster littered across his shoulders.

"Oh well. At least my scarf is still intact. I suppose I don't need this any longer." Sinthe said, the voice low and like a soothing melody to the ears.

Now that Hanzo thought about it, it wasn't a man's voice. No man could have such a sweet as honey voice that just lulled the ears. A voice that was obviously meant to sing. Reaching up with small, thin fingered hands, Sinthe unbuckled the snap of the cloak and yanked it free. Length after length of salmon pink hair flowed free as the multi-colored hood fell back. As the cloak came free of Sinthe's body, they were all graced with the secret that Sinthe had kept hidden under the cloak.

Sinthe...was a girl.

END

Kyandi: I would have loved to see the looks of surprise on their faces if I was in your position.

Sinthe: Watching the shocked looks as men realize there's been a girl around them this whole time, is pretty amusing.

Kyandi: Especially for me who gets a kick out of messing with others.

Sinthe: Yet, you can't handle it when the favor is returned.

Kyandi: Yeah well...that's human nature.

Sinthe: Perhaps.

Kyandi: Anyway, I'm going to catch a nap and then I'll be back at the chapters. Until then, enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	6. Parting Ways

Kyandi: Hey, Kyandiacs!

Sinthe: We return bearing a chapter.

Kyandi: A chapter I, personally, love the ending of.

Sinthe: Of course, you do.

Kyandi: I'm sure my readers might enjoy it too.

Sinthe: We shall see, we shall see.

Kyandi: Right, so I'm going to get on with this. I have more chapters to write.

Sinthe: Of course you do.

Kyandi: So, everyone, please, enjoy and review.

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 6 Parting Ways

All of the other candidates, save Killua and Hisoka, and even Gitarakuru, stood in surprise, staring at Sinthe.

The person they had all just assumed was a male, but really was female, stood just a little below average height for a young girl at five foot, five, making her just a few inches shorter than Kurapika. Her body was modestly curved and thin, but lean and slightly muscled. She obviously had seen her fair share of training and fighting. The pink locks of hair fell in waves to her thin waist, chin length bangs parted in the middle to curl around a face with sharp cheekbones, a straight nose, full lips, and long lashed eyes. Her eyes were half lidded, giving her regal face a somewhat cold, distant, and thoughtful look.

She had clad her body in a black tube top with an open front, sleeveless, cream colored shirt over it that was open from the hallow of her throat, down to her belly button, and tight, low slung and very short, black shorts. She had paired it with a pair of thigh-high, crimson red stockings, knee-high boots, and fingerless gloves that matched the stockings in color. The multi-colored hood turned out to be part of a long and wide, multi-colored scarf that was wrapped around her neck and shoulders and tied in a large bow in the back. None of them had noticed, but bells hung from the trailing ends of the scarf. It was only now that they saw them, that any of them heard the subtle chiming of the bells.

Ruby, tear-drop earrings hung from her ear lobs, two more piercings following suit. She obviously liked the color red, for a small, red bow decorated her hair just over her left ear. She was a pretty, young woman, but all eyes were drawn to two things and two things only.

The first was a brand, burned into the skin just on the left side of her belly button, a spot on the right side of the belly button, patched up with a bandage. The old scar took the shape of a circle with what looked like a heart and an upside down heart inside, the two lines and dot letter symbol for "shi" in the very center. Pretty much everyone in the room knew what the brand stood for.

In their world existed a clan of born and breed monsters; the Joelle Clan. The clan was known to for producing one cold blooded killer after another. Each member of the clan had the touch of the devil in them. They were a bloody, cold and uncaring, would-kill-anyone-at-anytime, kind of people who thrived in inducing as much pain as possible in their prey before killing them.

The second thing they noticed, was her eyes...which were two different colors. The left eye was a very pale, blue-purple in color and stood out greatly when compared to the vivid yellow-gold of her right. It was like she had a gem for a left eye and a piece of melted down gold for the right.

When one added together the brand of the Joelle Clan and the mismatched eyes, they knew exactly who this girl was. Hanzo took a step back from her, sweat forming a shining layer on his forehead. Sinthe locked her eyes on him, making him take another step back from her as the intensity of her gaze locked in on his eyes.

"The Joelle Clan symbol...mismatched eyes...I know who you are. You're Devil Child Joelle! The monster born of the clan of monsters, capable of bring down her own clansmen even when out numbered fifty to one. Named for the sign of evil in the form of her mismatched eyes." Hanzo declared.

Sinthe heaved a sigh as she shook her head. Her hands went to her hips then. She looked a little put out, as if something was causing a headache to form.

"First and foremost, no, I will not deny that I am the one they call Devil Child Joelle, but that is not a name I am fond of. My name is Absinthe Joelle. I prefer Sinthe, thank you." Sinthe said, shifting her arms to fold them over her chest. "Secondly, you know, there are two things wrong with what you just said. For one, it's not like I'm possessed or something, just because my eyes don't match in color. It's a genetic mutation called a Heterochromia. Scientifically proven and explained, as I constantly tell everyone, my clan mates included. I resent the accusation that I am demon possessed because of it." Sinthe said calmly, as if she was simply talking about the weather.

She had a point though. It was no more a demon possession than it was with Kurapika when his eyes turned red. It was just something she had been born with. But it did nothing to make Hanzo feel any less creeped out than he already was. The rumors that proceeded her, were just too much.

"As for the second point...you are wrong in your assumption that the only reason I was dubbed Devil Child Joelle was simply because of my eyes. The reason was that when I was I mere child of four and use to train with or play with the older children of my clan, I had an unfortunate tendency...of being just a tad too rough." Sinthe said, pressing her finger tips together and rocking back onto one foot. "It was not my intention but what is done is done."

Sinthe spread her hands. It had not been her fault, she swore it. She had not known that she was stronger than the children, and when she had hurt them and their parents had turned on her...it had merely been an act of self defense that had led her to lash out. She had apologized, of course, but at six, she had badly hurt the grandson of a clan elder when he had allowed her to play with him and his friends. They had been in their mid-teens, and so sure she couldn't hurt them. Twenty minutes had proved them horribly wrong.

Of course, as she had gotten older, her strength had even out, becoming close to normal. That is, until her brother had taken over her training, but the rumors were already out there.

"You really are of the Joelle Clan if you can write it off so easily." Hanzo remarked.

"My, how prejudiced of you. I never said I wrote it off. My past most certainly plays a part in who I am today, but there is no point in fretting over something that is already over and done with. It isn't like I can change it now. And I paid for my transgressions." Sinthe said simply.

A logical and clear headed view on the world. She was obviously level headed and carefully thought about things. In no rush to form an opinion or make a decision. Perfectly patient in how she approached the world.

She had to be given some of the people her brother called friends.

"That is true." Hanzo admitted. "And we aren't so different, you and I."

Sinthe actually raised her eyes to look at him then, crossing her arms and jutting out one hip.

"There are several differences between ninjas and the "shadow warriors" of the Joelle Clan. I would have thought that a ninja such as you, would know that." Sinthe retorted.

Hanzo grimaced and looked away from her, scratching one cheek. He obviously didn't like being caught in a blunder like that. Sinthe, though, was quick to forget it.

"None of this matters. I need my Hunter's license, so could we please return to the matter at hand. I am sure the others are ready to be done with their fights too." Sinthe said.

"I can't fight a woman!" Hanzo declared.

"Oh, how naive."

Before Hanzo could react, Sinthe was standing just behind him and to the side, as if she had suddenly appeared there. In a fluid and quick motion, Sinthe kicked backwards, taking out Hanzo's knee. Hanzo tumbled backwards and Sinthe reached back, pressing a hand to his face. With a simple little shove from her hand...Sinthe bounced his head off the floor with a loud, resounding crack. It looked almost like she had bounced a bouncy ball off of the floor. Sinthe strolled away from him as he gripped his bleeding head.

"Man or woman, it shouldn't matter in a fight. All that matters is that I am just as capable of hurting you as you are of hurting me." Sinthe told him, turning to look at him. "Then again, if you refuse to fight a girl, then that would mean I am more capable of hurting you than you are of me. That naive way of thinking it exactly why I hid the fact that I am female."

"How'd you move so fast?" Hanzo demanded, getting to one knee.

Sinthe suddenly appeared in front of him, her face just inches from his, her eyes bearing down into his. The next moment, Sinthe kicked him in the gut, knocking him back onto his back, her booted heel stomping down on his gut.

"It's a rather simple technique, you know. I am sure if you bothered actually paying attention, that you could figure it out. That you haven't already, after seeing it twice...you're eyes must not be all that sharp." Sinthe told him.

Hanzo, angry, seized her ankle and toppled her, jumping back to his feet. Appearing unconcerned with the fact that her back was heading for a painful greeting from the floor, Sinthe let herself be knocked over, going with the flow of the fall. One hand went out, fingers pressing into the floor. With an upper body strength that was surprising in a girl of her size, she spun on the spot, sweeping her legs out to snag Hanzo's. While Sinthe flipped back onto her feet, Hanzo crashed back to the floor, completely reversing their positions.

Sinthe backed a few feet from him, shifting from one foot to another as if waiting for any kind of retaliation. Hanzo jumped back to his feet, attacking, but Sinthe glided out of his way easily, swaying as she moved. It almost looked like she was dancing, swaying to a beat they couldn't hear.

"It's like she dancing." Kurapika said in awe.

"Is she not taking this seriously?" Leorio asked.

"I don't think that's the case. The swaying movements make it difficult to guess what her next move will be." Kurapika said, watching her closely.

And he was right. Because of the swaying, it was hard to predict which way she would move next. It was almost like the drunken movements of someone with way too much alcohol in their system. It baffled Hanzo, who had a hard time tracking her movements, while she seemed able to read his very thoughts. With his next lunging attack, Sinthe bent in two, displaying a flexibility that seemed to be easier to obtain for the fairer sex. Hanzo, surprised, didn't see her leg until she wrapped it around his neck. Twisting, taking her hands completely out of the equation, Sinthe swept his legs out from under him, and twisted her body around his, until she had managed to pin him to the ground.

Hanzo hit the floor on his stomach, his arms twisted up in a painful way behind his back and pinned in place by Sinthe's full weight. She braced one foot so he couldn't topple her easily and shifted to make sure she had access to the majority of his lower back. If he twisted and tried to look over his shoulder, he would be greeted with only the view of her back side.

"Since you know so much about the Joelle Clan, can you tell me what they specialize in?" Sinthe questioned.

Hanzo tried to free himself but Sinthe obviously knew what she was doing. He was unable to so much as wiggle his arms free even an inch. When he tried to buck her off, she rode with his movement, and even drove the heel of her free foot, back into his head, pressing his cheek to the floor.

"I'm waiting." Sinthe said in a perfectly patient and calm voice.

"They specialize in the art of interrogation, in the art of torture." Hanzo answered.

"Do you know how?" she asked.

Hanzo didn't say anything, gritting his teeth. He knew, but he didn't want to admit what kind of position he was in right now. If her reputation really did proceed her, then he was in for a word of hurt.

"Fine, hold your tongue if you wish. I'll explain. From the time we are mere toddlers, we of the Joelle Clan are taught to memorize the inner make-up of a person. Where every vital organ is, every main artery and vein, what organs can be damaged or destroyed but not kill you instantly, how to damage a body for the maximum amount of pain while keeping you alive at the same time. We are even trained in techniques for staunching the flow of blood so you won't bleed out before we are done with you. It's actually a rather effective technique because everyone, no matter how much they've trained their bodies, has a pain threshold. It's just a matter of finding it and flirting with that line. I am a very patient person. Heralded as the most patient of my clan, and therefore, the most effective at the job. Shall we find your's?" Sinthe asked.

Hanzo stiffened up and tried to free himself again, but Sinthe wouldn't be budged. She simply sat there, waiting for him to give up and settle back down. When he finally did, she glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"You done? My grandfather is the leader of the Joelle Clan. He taught me this hold himself. You aren't going to budge me. That being said, I will hear your answer now...will you give up? I would rather not have to use the techniques of my clan, but I shall if I have to. As I said...I need this license, and now." Sinthe told him.

"I won't give up." Hanzo replied, making Sinthe heave a sigh.

"Normally, I value persistence in a man, but you are just being stubborn. As you told Gon earlier...it is not as if you could not win the next round, or the round after." Sinthe remarked.

"The same could be said to you." Hanzo replied.

He was starting to get very uncomfortable with the way she had his arms pinned. It was putting an awful lot of strain on his shoulders.

"Yes, you are correct, but what is that quaint little expression...oh, yes. Ladies first."

Hisoka chuckled from where he stood. He was sure that, as a female herself, there was at least one person in the room cheering for Sinthe. A.k.a Menchi. He was also sure that it was something she used against her brother and the male members of the Phantom Troupe. She certainly used it with him.

"And if I was to concede this match to you, that could possibly put me up against Killua. I am rather fond of that boy and would like to avoid friendly fire if I can. I will admit that I would be unable to win against him." Sinthe added.

Killua raised his head to look at her, but she wasn't even glancing in his direction. Hanzo shifted to try to look at her face, but was unable to manage it.

"He too strong for you?" Hanzo said, trying to be mocking.

"That is not the reason, though I do not doubt Killua's abilities despite his age. I merely value loyalty above all else. It is a priceless commodity in my world. Even an assassin needs absolute loyalty from those they choose to be close to them. Killua has my loyalty, meaning that I would allow certain liberties to him as one I favor. You, on the other hand...I owe nothing to you." Sinthe replied.

Sinthe reached back then, pulling a wickedly sharp knife from her boot that couldn't be anything but a Benz knife. Hanzo's eyes locked on the blade until it vanished from his line of sight. The next second, he felt the sharp tip against his back, moving slowly, the pressure just enough for him to feel the sharp tip through his shirt.

"I do not like to repeat myself, but I shall give you one last chance. Concede." Sinthe told him.

"No." Hanzo said, instantly.

"Very well."

Hanzo barely bit back a cry of pain when he felt the searing pain of the blade piercing his skin. She paused for a moment, as if asking if he gave but Hanzo shook his head fiercely. There was another piercing pain, this time right at his kidneys, wrenching a noise of pain from him. The next two times he denied her, she targeted the most painful spots she could from his back. From where they stood, the other candidates couldn't see what Sinthe was doing, just watched as she idly worked, her chin resting in her free hand.

Hanzo, though, was pretty sure that at this rate, he really could die. While it would disqualify her, she could always come back next year. He would just be dead. He could feel her getting ready for another strike. Mustering what strength he had, he bucked once more, twisting at the same time. Straight faced, but her eyebrows raising in mild surprise at his remaining strength, Sinthe allowed herself to be knocked to the side. Placing a hand on the floor, she flipped herself over and away from him. She slid a few feet before coming to a stop on one knee.

"You're insane!" Hanzo snapped, getting shakily to his feet.

Sinthe raised one eyebrow as she looked over at him. In one hand, she dangled the knife she had removed from her boot...without a single drop of blood on it.

"Why would you say that? I never once cut you." she told him, rocking the knife back and forth.

Hanzo reached back, feeling along his back. There wasn't a single cut to be found, but he was sure he had felt the knife pierce his skin. If it hadn't then how had she dealt the pain he felt? It honestly had felt like he was being stabbed.

"You will have a few, small bruises, but you will live." Sinthe told him, swinging the knife back and forth in her hand.

"How did you do that?" Hanzo asked.

"Trade secret." Sinthe replied, returning the knife to her boot. "Let's just say...I'm good with my hands."

Sinthe held up her hands and wiggled the fingers. Hanzo growled before charging her. Sinthe easily flipped out of his way, her hand flicking in his direction, almost as if she was dismissing him. But that wasn't the case, as he soon found out. Darting around him with her superior speed and reflexes, Hanzo didn't realize what she had done, until she darted in at his back and landed a kick right to his lower back. Hanzo felt his knees buckle before they hit the ground. Then he felt the tightening of wires around his person before she shoved a heeled foot into the middle of his back.

Hanzo was forced to bow his back as the wires he couldn't see, tightened, some tugging just under his chin to make him bend backwards as her foot pressed on his back. He was able to see Sinthe's distant and impassive face in this position as she held the wires wrapped around her left hand. Hanzo could just barely make them out in the light of the room. They were thin, but apparently very strong.

"Breaking arms is effective. The least amount of damage but effective enough to put a person out of a fight for a while. People need their arms, but can survive without them. Now the **back** , is completely different. And I know exactly how to break a person's back to leave them wheelchair bound but alive." Sinthe told him.

Hanzo's eyes went wide. Her eyes were devoid of emotion, her face impassive. He had the sickening feeling deep in his gut that she would actually do it. She would break his back, ruin his life if he didn't give her what she wanted. And she would do so without any qualms.

"So I will ask...concede." Sinthe ordered.

When he didn't reply instantly she tugged harder on the wires while adding more pressure to his back with her foot. Hanzo couldn't hold back the noise of pain as his spine was forced to bend in a way it never had before.

"I wonder...given your current position, which do you think will be the first to break? Your back or your neck? Should we find out?" Sinthe asked.

"Just what kind of a girl are you!?" Hanzo demanded.

"One that was raised to do what she must to get what she needs. One raised to know exactly what she wants and how to get it and not take no for an answer. I won't ask again." Sinthe replied.

Hanzo knew there was no way out of this. The wires were too strong, holding his arms captive to his sides. His body would give before her persistence did.

"I give." he finally conceded.

"Thank you." Sinthe said in reply, uncurling two fingers so the wires would slip through.

The wires around him loosened and with a tug from her, completely unraveled from around his body. Hanzo caught himself with his hands braced on the floor. Sinthe stepped around him, wrapping the wires up and tucking them inside her glove.

"If you're going to bluff, you should learn the right way to do it. **That** was the right way." Sinthe told him.

Hanzo's head came up at her words, his eyes going wide. He looked up at her back as she resettled her glove, tugging idly to make sure it was in place.

"Bluff?" he asked.

Sinthe half turned back to look at him over her shoulder. She tugged on her scarf, forming a hood out of it's length once more.

"I know **how** to break a person's back, and, yes, I can do so, but there's a difference between actually wanting to go through all the effort and just bluffing about doing so." she told him. "Sorry, but I really just want to expand the least amount of energy as possible."

"You were bluffing!?" Hanzo yelled.

Sinthe spread her hands in a "what can you do" kind of gesture and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't seem the least bit upset with the bluff.

"Here's a bit of advice for you...women are deceptive creatures by nature. Joelle women are doubly so and my brother raised me to be triple that. Always assume that at least half of what they do in battle, or life in general, is deception." Sinthe told him before yanking her hood up. "If not all of what they do. You definitely shouldn't trust a Joelle woman."

She returned to her place, then, on the other side of Killua from Leorio and Kurapika and tugged the hood forward to cast her face in shadows once more. She accepted her bag back from Killua with a thanks, hanging it from one shoulder. She was announced the winner of her match and that Hanzo would move on to the next round to fight Pokkuru. Hisoka chuckled, making Sinthe give him a stern look.

The match between Hanzo and Pokkuru went about the same way as Hanzo's match with Gon, but Pokkuru quickly admitted defeat and they moved on to the next match. Hisoka verses Bodoro. It was obvious from the very start that Bodoro was no match for Hisoka, but he just wouldn't give up. Hisoka laid him out easily before bending to whisper something to the older man. The moment Hisoka straightened up and walked away, Bodoro admitted his defeat.

When the next match was announced, Sinthe knew it would be decided in just a spare minute, and not because one person was stronger than the other. The match pit Pokkuru against Killua. The moment it started, Killua declared that it wouldn't be any fun for him to fight against Pokkuru and he forfeited the match to the other candidate.

The next match was suppose to be Leorio verses Bodoro, but Leorio appealed to the examiners to move on to the next match in order to give Bodoro a chance to rest and see to his wounds. So the match between Killua and Gittarakuru was announced. Sinthe looked down at Killua at her side.

"Best of luck, Killua." she told him.

"Yeah, thanks." Killua replied, heading out to meet the needle covered man.

Sinthe knew Killua would need luck, simply because of who Gittarakuru really was. She didn't think Killua would fair too well when he found out. He never would have believed her if she had told him before hand, either.

The two faced each other and the match was started.

"It's been a long time, Killua." Gittarakuru said.

Killua raised an eyebrow, wondering why Gittarakuru was talking like he had met him before. As far as Killua knew, he had never met this needle riddled menace before. Reaching up, Gittarakuru started removing the needles in his head and face. Before their eyes, his face and head shifted, taking a new shape, and his hair grew out and changed color. Leorio and Kurapika were a little unsettled, watching the change, but Sinthe tilted her head to the side, completely intrigued. She always found it intriguing to watch the change.

Killua's eyes widened, his whole attitude changing when the shifting stopped and revealed Gittarakuru to be his oldest brother, Illumi. A cold sweat broke out over Killua's body as he faced his brother.

"Mum and Milluki told me you've hit them?" Illumi asked.

"You could say it like that." Killua replied.

"Mum was crying." Illumi informed him.

"Obviously! A mother that suffers of this from her own son-"

"I highly doubt that's the case here." Sinthe remarked, cutting off Leorio.

"She was confused. "Succeeding in educating that way gives me such pleasure"." Illumi said, quoting his mother.

Leorio fell over himself in disbelief. Just what kind of family was it that Killua's mother was pleased with having Killua attack her?

"I told you so." Sinthe said.

She shrugged when Leorio looked at her. If he had grown up in a life like the one she had had, he wouldn't be so surprised by the way Killua's family worked.

""But I'm worried to see him leave right now"...After thinking a lot, she called me. It's an unexpected meeting. She feared you'd like to be a Hunter. To tell you the truth, I also wanted an accreditation for my next work." Illumi went on.

"I don't especially want to be a Hunter. I just wanted to try the exam." Killua replied.

"That's reassuring. So I can talk to you openly. You won't become a Hunter. Because your vocation is to be a killer. You're just a dark puppet, passionless. Inside you, you have no passion, nor desire. You feed yourself with shadow, and the only pleasure you can feel comes from the death of people. You're just as we taught you, Father and I." Illumi told Killua.

Sinthe, before Chrollo had take her in, had always been told something similar by her grandfather. The man had taught her, over those first few years, that she would be nothing more than a tool he would use to further the clan's place in the world. Of course, Sinthe no longer believed his words to be true and didn't care about them.

"What were you expecting in becoming a Hunter?" Illumi asked his brother.

"It's not that I wanted to become a Hunter that lead me here. But there's something I'd like to have." Killua answered.

"No, there isn't anything." Illumi retorted.

"Yes, there's something!" Killua snapped.

"Pff! So tell it to me! What would you want?" Illumi asked. "Well?"

Killua didn't answer right away, his gaze focused on the ground. Illumi stared down at him.

"There's nothing, is there?" Illumi asked.

"There is! I want...I want to become friends with Gon. I'm fed up with killing. I just want...to become friends with Gon. I want to have fun, like a normal kid." Killua said.

"That's impossible! You can't make people be your friends. The only judgment you're able to pass on a human is to know if you can kill him or not. Because that's what we taught you. You're amazed by Gon. You're always together, aren't you? This has nothing to do with being friends." Illumi said.

"That's false." Killua insisted.

"If you stay close to him, one day, you'll want to kill him. Because you'll ask yourself if you're able to kill him or not. Because you're a natural born killer." Illumi said.

Leorio, fed up with hearing Illumi say such things to his little brother, spoke up.

"Killua! Even if it's your friends or anyone else, I don't know, but I'm gonna tell you...he's just an idiot, a dumbass that understands nothing at all! Go on! Burst him like you usually do, and pass the exam! You want to become friends with Gon? So don't fall asleep! You get along well, and you are friends, aren't you!? And I'm sure Gon feels the same way!" Leorio yelled.

"Really?" Illumi asked.

"That's obvious! Idiot!" Leorio snapped back.

"That bothers me...if the other one already thinks he's his friend. I know! I'll just have to kill Gon." Illumi said.

Sinthe knew it to be a bluff. She knew Illumi a little better than that. There were several reasons why Illumi couldn't, and wouldn't, kill Gon. Killua, on the other hand, was effected by his brother's words. Especially when Illumi had needles in his hand, and started heading for the door.

"Killers don't need friends. Because they're always in the way. Where is he?" Illumi asked.

One official stepped forward to stop him, since the exam wasn't over, and Illumi flicked his hand, three needles burying themselves in the man's face. The man's features began to, painfully, distort.

"So?" Illumi asked.

"Resting room...two...next..."

Illumi didn't need to hear anymore. He turned away from the man, only to find more officials blocking the door with Leorio, Hanzo, Kurapika, and even Sinthe, blocking the actual door. Sinthe actually liked Gon. The boy was cheerful and honest, and truly seemed to be a great friend to Killua. And Killua was happy with him around. That was reason enough for Sinthe to step in the way.

"Damn it! If only I didn't need this certificate for my next work...If I kill them here, I'll be disqualified and Killua will automatically pass. I was going to make a mistake. Because if I kill Gon, the result will be the same. Yes. I know! I'll start with passing the exam and then I'll kill Gon!" Illumi said, before turning to face Netero. "Doing it this way, even if I kill everyone here, my title can't be taken back, can it?"

"No. No special rule allows that." Netero replied.

Illumi turned to his brother then, who was visibly sweating by this moment. This was part of the reason why Sinthe was glad her brother wasn't like this. In families like hers and Killua's, having someone, like a sibling, who knew them better than anyone else, was a dangerous thing. Especially when that person would take any chance to use that against them. Chrollo adored his sister too much to manipulate her like Illumi did with Killua.

"Did you hear, Killua? If you don't win against me, you won't be able to save Gon. Will you be able to fight for friendship? No, you can't. The reason is simple: more than the friendship, what matters is if here and now, you can defeat me or not." Illumi said, turning to walk towards Killua, making the younger boy stiffen up in fear. "You already have the answer. "With my strength, I can't beat my brother". "If you feel you can't beat him, don't confront him." I was the one who gave you that advice, do you remember?"

Killua, his eyes wide and obviously scared beyond belief, took a step towards his brother. Scared or not, he would fight for Gon's sake.

"Don't move." Illumi said, bringing Killua to a dead stop. "If you move even a tiny bit, I'll consider it to be the start of the fight. From the moment our bodies touch each other, the fight will begin. There's only one way to stop us. You understand? But...don't forget: if you don't confront me, your precious friend, Gon, will die."

Illumi's hand inched closer and closer to Killua. He felt like his heart was about to hammer it's way out of his chest, or stop altogether. He couldn't tell.

"Go on, Killua! Whatever happens, we won't let anyone get killed, not Gon, not you! Whatever he does, we'll stop him! Do what you want to do!" Leorio yelled to Killua.

Killua, though, didn't hear him. Just looking at Killua's eyes, Sinthe knew that the fight was already lost. He simply just couldn't fight against Illumi.

"Damn...I lost." Killua said.

Silence fell over the room as Killua stared at the floor. Sinthe took a step forward then, bringing attention to her, but she was focused on Illumi.

"He admitted his defeat. Don't you think it's time you stop lying and trying to mess with his head, Illumi? You took it too far." she demanded of Illumi.

Illumi turned to look at her. Though he couldn't see her face due to the shadow cast by the hood, he could hear the confidence in her tone and knew she could tell when he was bluffing. It was an ability he found annoying when she turned it on him. Though it would be simpler to just kill Gon and be done with it, Illumi wasn't going to do so. Sinthe knew this. Clapping his hands together, the air around Illumi changed.

"I do feel better! I'm done with the fights." Illumi said, turning to face Killua and clapping a hand down on his shoulder. "I lied to you, Killua, as she said. I have no intention of killing Gon! I only wanted to test you. Now I have what I wanted. You don't have the qualifications to make any friends. More so, you don't need any. You'll continue listening to what your father and I tell you. You only have to do your work correctly and everything will be okay. If someday it becomes necessary for you to pass this exam, I'll guide you. But now, that's not the case."

Illumi's eyes widened slightly when Sinthe suddenly appeared at his side, injecting herself between him and Killua. She laid a hand on Killua's shoulder, gently squeezing as she turned her head to look up at Illumi. This close to each other, Illumi could see past the shadows cast by the hood. He could make out the sharpness of mismatched eyes lurking in the shadows. Oddly enough, he felt compelled to remain perfectly still under that gaze. He knew her serious look and when Sinthe was serious, things got dark.

Literally.

Illumi watched as Killua allowed Sinthe to shield him from Illumi, Killua even taking an unconscious step closer to her side. In the span of the fourth phase, the two had obviously forged a friendship strong enough for Sinthe to rise to his defense and for Killua to find solace in her presence.

"I do believe that if he wants your guidance, let alone, your opinion, he'll ask for it. As he has not, perhaps you should keep both to yourself." Sinthe said. "And for your information, Illumi, I am his friend, too. Perhaps you should rethink your words before you pick a fight that could end rather badly for you."

The warning was clear in her tone as she turned without another word, and guided Killua away from Illumi and to Kurapika and Leorio. Illumi watched with surprise and interest. Most wouldn't stand up to him that way, and though Sinthe had, once or twice, in the past, normally she was rather laid back whenever her brother had anything to do with Illumi. He hadn't expected her to be ready to get in the middle of something involving two members of the Zoldyck family. Sinthe didn't seem the least bit concerned as long as it was in defense of a friend.

That was a Joelle clansman, alright.

No...that was the little sister of Chrollo Lucilfer.

Sinthe, Kurapika, and Leorio tried their hardest to talk to Killua but it was as if he had closed himself off to everything around him. All they could do was wait for him to want to talk. In the meantime, Leorio's match with Bodoro was to start. Sinthe stood beside Killua, watching as Leorio faced Bodoro. No sooner had the match started, Killua appeared behind Bodoro. Sinthe glanced down at her side and sure enough, the boy was gone. She turned quickly, ready to call out to Killua, but it was too late. The boy stabbed Bodoro right through the heart, instantly killing the old man.

Without a word from Killua, he was disqualified and the exam was ended. Killua didn't even glance at his friends as he turned and left. If it wasn't for the fact that she had to stay for a closing orientation, Sinthe would have gone after him. As it was, those remaining were ushered into a classroom styled hall. Each of them took a seat, Sinthe preferring the far back, as far from Illumi as possible. She still wasn't happy with him. Of course, the first topic of discussion was Killua's disqualification.

Naturally, as his friends, Kurapika and Leorio were against it. Even Sinthe added her two jenny worth to the conversation, even if it was only her agreeing with the two. Gon appeared then, throwing the door wide open. Sinthe, sitting the closest to the door, turned where she was sitting on the desk top, her legs and arms crossed. Gon, his arm bandaged and wrapped in a sling, glanced around the room until his eyes landed on Illumi.

Ignoring everyone else, Gon stormed down to where Illumi sat at the front of the room and stood there, glaring at him. Illumi didn't even acknowledge he stood there.

"Apologize to Killua." Gon demanded.

At this, Illumi finally turned to look at Gon, his expression still blank.

"Apologize? For what?" Illumi asked.

"You don't even understand this? You don't have the qualifications to be an older brother." Gon told him.

"You need qualities for this?" Illumi asked, turning back to face the front.

Gon, starting to lose his temper, reached out then, grabbing Illumi by the right wrist. His grip tightened and with a tug, he yanked Illumi out of his seat, swinging the larger male over his head until Illumi landed on his feet beside Gon, mildly surprised. Gon still didn't release his wrist, though. A low, impressed whistle sounded from the back of the room, but when the others glanced back at Sinthe, she didn't even let off the impression that she had made a sound.

"To be the friend of somebody, I don't require anything!" Gon snapped at Illumi.

His grip tightened even more until Illumi felt the bone in his wrist snap. Despite the broken bone, Illumi's expression didn't change in the slightest.

"Let's go find Killua. I don't care if you want to apologize to him or not. Just tell me where he is, that will be enough." Gon said.

"And after, what will you do?" Illumi asked.

"I'll bring him back." Gon replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Hearing you, you'd think I'd kidnapped someone. He left by himself." Illumi said calmly.

"But that's not what he wanted to do. You manipulated him so much that we can talk about kidnapping." Gon replied.

"That's precisely the point I was about to debate on, Gon." Netero called out then.

Gon turned to look at the old man, still gripping Illumi's wrist tight.

"An identical request has been brought up by Leorio and Kurapika. And it seems that Sinthe is in agreement with them. Killua's disqualification and the injustice it represents are being examined now." Netero told Gon.

"The attitude of Killua during the fight with the one called Gittarakuru and his attitude after the fight weren't natural. This allows us to think that during the fight, he was under influence and acted under this hold. Generally, even if we use a powerful hypnotism, it's impossible to ask someone to assassinate someone. But for Killua, killing is a daily act, and moral limits don't work. His actions can be explained." Kurapika said, jumping right into the topic.

"The problem comes from this happening during my fight against Bodoro. If we pay close attention, we could say Killua came to help me. In that case, the disqualified one isn't him, but me." Leorio added.

"Whatever, at this moment, Killua couldn't act on his own. His disqualification isn't justified." Kurapika insisted.

"But these are only hypotheses. We don't have any proof. Nothing can prove to us that he was asked to kill someone. Nor that he had been hypnotized before hand." Netero said.

"Something of this sort is difficult to prove, but considering the familiar link between the two, it is far from impossible."

The sudden comment had everyone turning to Sinthe. She sat on the desk top, legs crossed and hands folded over the top knee.

"Meaning?" Netero asked her.

"I've seen the technique used within my own clan. He even said himself that he has had a big hand in raising Killua to be who he is. It is not a far stretch in the least to think that he has done something to manipulate Killua and can do so without any visible evidence. And unless someone catches a person in the process of hypnotizing someone, it is rather difficult to prove it has been done. Personally, though, I know for a fact that that wasn't Killua." Sinthe said lowly.

"How do you know?" Netero asked.

"There's a saying that says that "eyes are windows to the soul". Believe it or not, but before my eyes, those windows are forever wide open. I could see it in both of their eyes. As for Killua's interference in Leorio and Bodoro's match...Leorio is a companion and friend of Killua's. Had he, somehow, lost, he would have ended up fighting Killua. Of course Killua wouldn't have wanted that." Sinthe replied.

Her insight into Killua's reasons aside, the idea of Sinthe being able to divulge a person's every secret simply by looking them in the eye, was creepy to say the least. Though it did explain the probing, creepy feeling one got looking into her eyes.

"It is not hard to believe in the least, but that is still no proof. Concerning what happened after the match between Leorio and Bodoro, I don't think there are any problems. The strength of each one was nearly the same at this time, but counting experience, Bodoro had an advantage. If we only count the fighting skills, I think Leorio was more effective. I can only say the situation didn't need Killua's help." Netero replied.

From here, Pokkuru spoke up, bringing up how Kurapika won his match, saying that **that** was the topic of disqualification they should be covering. He basically demanded that Kurapika tell them what Hisoka whispered to him. Of course, Kurapika denied him. It took Gon speaking up to stop the arguments that started flying around the room.

"This isn't any of my business. Qualification isn't something we have to talk about. The ones who are not okay with their success can go through training until they are. Concerning Killua, if he takes the exam again, it's obvious he'll pass, and obtain his title of Hunter. It's a pity he failed but we can't do anything about it. On the other hand...if he had been under constraint until now, to kill people not by his own choice...I won't forgive you." Gon said, glaring at Illumi.

"You won't forgive me, so what?" Illumi asked.

"I won't do anything for you. I'll take Killua back. And I'll do everything I can to make sure you'll never meet again." Gon threatened.

Sinthe shifted in her seat, ready to pounce as Illumi reached for Gon with his free hand. Gon instantly released Illumi and jumped back from him. Before anything else could possibly happen, Netero brought the topic of conversation to an end, saying that Killua's disqualification would stick. With that decided, the orientation was wrapped up with the explanation about their licenses and how valuable they were, as well as the rules of their society.

When it was all said and done and they each had their licenses in hand, they were free to leave and go about their new lives as Hunters. Sinthe remained where she was sitting, watching as Gon demanded to know where Killua went. Illumi was pretty sure that Gon would never reach Killua, even if he knew where he was, so he simply told Gon that Killua had gone home to their family residence on Kukuru Mountain. After that, everyone begin splitting up.

Hisoka and Illumi stood together, watching as Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio walked off down the hall, already discussing their plans.

"Will it be okay? A killer that tells the place of his lair." Hisoka remarked.

"Yes. It's not even hidden, plus, it's famous. When they arrive there, they'll understand the difference between the world they live in and mine." Illumi told him.

Hisoka's eyes fell to Illumi's wrist then. Already, it was bruising a deep blue and purple, his wrist swelling up to twice it's size. Seeing what Hisoka was looking at, Illumi raised his arm to look at it.

"This? Yes...it's broken." Illumi confirmed. "Quite an interesting thing. I understand why you said you wanted to keep an eye on him."

"Isn't he." Hisoka replied proudly.

Whether or not Hisoka found Gon fascinating, Illumi could see the real threat behind letting Gon live. He was even wondering about if he should go ahead and kill Gon, when he noticed Hisoka glaring at him. He turned to look at the other man.

"Gon is mine. If you touch him, you're taking a great risk." Hisoka told him.

"I know. We haven't known each other for a long time, but I understand your tastes." Illumi told him.

"And I understand that you're a jerk."

Illumi and Hisoka turned, finding Sinthe, her hood down, standing behind them. Sinthe didn't look happy. The easy smile that she usually sported, was missing as she glared at Illumi.

"Me?" Illumi asked, pointing to himself.

"Yes, you. Just how cruel can you be? He's your brother!" Sinthe told him.

"Killua is fine." Illumi replied.

"Is he really? You messing with his head with your nen isn't really helping him, you know. You're only hampering him."

Illumi raised his eyebrows when Sinthe said this. He didn't know that she had known about that. Hisoka, quietly, stood by and watched, enjoying watching Sinthe lay into Illumi.

"You know about that." Illumi stated.

"Of course I do. You've known my brother, how long now? I know you better than you'd like. I'm warning you, Illumi. You're going to push Killua too far, one of these days, and you aren't going to like the outcome." Sinthe told him, leaning forward to jab a finger into his chest, her other hand on her hip. "I, for one, will be watching in laughter when he finally decides to lay you out. And I will cheer afterward because you've only brought it on yourself, you insensitive jerk."

With that, Sinthe stormed past the two of them, heading off down the hall. Illumi and Hisoka watched her go, Hisoka chuckling lowly while Illumi merely blinked.

"I think she likes me." Illumi said finally.

"I doubt that's the case." Hisoka replied.

But hey, stranger things had happened.

-0-0-0-0-

"Gon. Kurapika, Leorio."

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio came to a stop, the three turning when they heard their names being called. Coming towards them from down the hall, was Sinthe, her hood down to reveal her smiling face.

"Oh, hey Sinthe!" Gon greeted.

"Did you need something?" Kurapika asked.

They had just been discussing where to find out information on Kukuru Mountain. It was a no brainer that they were going to go after Killua. Sinthe had interrupted the conversation.

"Not really. I just wanted to congratulate all of you on passing." Sinthe said. "I assume the three of you are going to go find Killua?"

"Yes!" Gon said, nodding. "Do you want to come with?"

"Sorry. Killua is my friend, don't get me wrong. I promised him I would be a friend he could rely on, but every time I go near the Zoldyck estates, Killua's mother always tries to set me up with one of Killua's older brothers. I will avoid that like the plague. Not to mention that my brother doesn't like me going there without him." Sinthe replied.

"Then what are you going to do?" Gon asked.

"I was going to go home, to my brother, but he's off chasing yet another treasure." Sinthe said, her tone speaking of affection even as she rolled her eyes. "I'll probably stick with Hisoka for a while."

The look the three shared was enough for Sinthe to know that they kind of feared for her well being if she remained with Hisoka. It put a soft smile on her face and made her laugh lightly, her laugh sounding like one of the tiny bells hanging from her scarf.

"You don't have to worry. Hisoka's not always that bad. Besides, he wants something from my brother and it's not likely he'll get it if he lets anything happen to me. My brother is a pleasant enough person, normally, but he's not too happy when someone so much as scratches me, which is why he would only let me take the exam if I went with Hisoka." Sinthe explained.

"Sounds like he loves you a lot." Gon said with a smile.

"Yes, well...he did raise me. I care a lot about him, too." Sinthe said, her expression softening at the thought of her brother. "He's even saved my life before. He's about the only family I'm willing to claim, though his friends have been like family too."

It was obvious that Sinthe loved her brother. It made Kurapika wish he had a brother that could put a big smile on his face like the mere thought of her brother did for Sinthe. Sinthe, feeling his eyes intent on her, turned to look at him, smiling when her eyes met his.

"Hey, Sinthe."

Sinthe turned her eyes to Gon when he called her name.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Are your eyes the reason you hid your face?" Gon asked bluntly.

Leorio hit him over the head, telling him to be more sensitive. Sinthe just laughed, raising one hand to cover her mouth. She flapped the other in the air.

"It's alright." she told Leorio, turning her attention to Gon. "Part of it. You saw how Hanzo acted. A lot of people act that way towards my eyes. I'm more secure about my eyes now than I was when I was younger, but it's still easier to just hide them."

They couldn't help but nod their heads in understanding. Kurapika and Leorio had never thought to meet a Joelle who was insecure about anything. Pretty much every member of the clan had enough self confidence for twenty people. It was part of what made them seem crazy to the rest of the world since they never seemed to fear or worry about anything. Sinthe didn't seem to be like her clansmen. Kurapika decided to be the first to speak up. Besides, who better would understand the fear of someone else knowing about their eyes than him? He gave Sinthe a smile.

"You have nothing to fear with us. I, for one, find your eyes to be perfect fascinating, Absinthe." Kurapika told her, using her full first name.

Sinthe's eyes turned to him with a snap, her eyes blinking in surprise. From the way her mouth opened and then closed and twisted, as well as from the way she shifted, Kurapika was sure she was embarrassed. He could even see a little color rise in her cheeks.

"Could you please call me Sinthe?" she asked, her normally low voice, even lower.

"Why? I think Absinthe is a beautiful name." Kurapika told her.

Her cheeks turned red then, the blush adorable on her as she looked away from him. He really couldn't see the Devil Child people called her when she acted like this.

"I, uh...umm...alright..."

That was all Sinthe was able to get out, making the three smile and chuckle slightly at her embarrassment. She was saved any further embarrassment by the approaching figure of Hanzo, who called out to them with a loud, "Yo!". All four turned and looked at him.

"I'm returning to my country. It was concise, even if it seemed like an eternity, but it was amusing." Hanzo said, rather happily at that. "If someday you come to my country, contact me. I can show you the best tourist spots."

With this, Hanzo handed all four of them a card. Sinthe looked at the thing before tucking it into the back pocket of her shorts. She then turned to look up at Hanzo.

"About earlier...I apologize." Sinthe told him.

Hanzo waved it off. Now that he had a moment to cool down and had his license in hand, he had no harsh feelings towards Sinthe's approach for winning her match.

"No, if anyone needs to apologize, it's me. If anyone should know that most things aren't what they seem, it should be me as a ninja. I was prejudiced against you, so sorry." Hanzo told her.

"Yes, well...to be fair, there are some pretty awful rumors that proceed me." Sinthe admitted. "My grandfather is a real jerk."

"Bygones?" Hanzo asked, holding out a hand to her.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Sinthe accepted, taking his hand.

Hanzo grinned and gave them a wave before turning to leave. No sooner had he left, Pokkuru approached them to apologize to Kurapika for jumping on his case about whatever it was that Hisoka whispered to him.

"I lost my wits a while ago, I'm sorry." Pokkuru told him.

"No. I'm the one who should apologize." Kurapika replied.

"You know, it's because you were right that I didn't know what to do. I never imagined that I would pass this exam in such an unsatisfying way. I want to get rid of any misunderstandings from that moment. Anyways, nothing will change from now on. We pushed ourselves hard to pass this exam, so let's profit from the advantages the title gives us. The real problem is knowing what we'll do now." Pokkuru said, before jabbing a thumb at his own chest. "I'm gonna travel all over the world looking for living species whose existence must still be proven. In other words, I'm gonna become a Hunter of ghostly species! If you need any information, we can look for it together. What do you think?"

"Yes, thank you. I'd like to know some more information on a Hunter named Jin. I'd like to know what is said about him." Gon said.

"Jin? Do you have a picture?" Pokkuru asked.

"No."

Pokkuru pulled out his portable computer, typing something in before turning to Leorio and Kurapika.

"And you?" he asked.

"Not particularly." Kurapika told him.

Pokkuru nodded and turned to Sinthe while Leorio looked down at Kurapika.

"What about you?" Pokkuru asked.

"No, thank you. I'm good." Sinthe told him.

Pokkuru nodded as he tucked away his little computer. He then handed them all a card holding his "home code".

"As you wish. If you ever need any help, please call me. This is my "home code"." Pokkuru told them.

"Good idea, I'll give you mine." Kurapika said.

"So will I." Leorio agreed.

"As will I." Sinthe added.

Gon, who didn't know what a home code was, watched the four in confusion. Once the information was exchanged, Pokkuru turned to look at him.

"Give me yours too, Gon! Or I won't be able to contact you." Pokkuru said.

"Err, in fact...what's a "home code"?" Gon asked.

"Why am I not surprised that he doesn't know?" Sinthe asked.

"I forgot: he came here knowing nothing about anything!" Leorio said.

"A "home code" is a special phone for when you're gone. Because Hunters are almost always travelling around the world negotiating, an answering machine is indispensable so that they can collect a lot of information. Wherever you are in the world, thanks to your cell phone, you can listen to all the important info without interrupting your movement. Even in the remote place where I live, some people rely upon it." Sinthe said.

"Of course, to counter hacking and other phone bugs, we don't connect directly. We choose a secret access code, and we use encrypting. We collect information directly as much as possible." Leorio said.

This, of course, lead Gon to question what Kurapika had meant before Sinthe had joined them when he had mentioned "surfing". Leorio and Kurapika had to explain about the internet, with Pokkuru adding in a comment now and then.

"That's true, with the Hunter's card, we can surf. More so, with the Hunter's card, you can surf freely. Why don't we use it now?" Kurapika asked.

"Aargh! No, I'd rather not! I've decided not to use it now." Gon replied.

"You're really stubborn." Leorio remarked.

"It's not that important! We'll use mine." Kurapika offered.

"Then, when you have a home code, call me." Pokkuru told Gon, giving him the contact information.

With that, Pokkuru parted ways with the four. When he was gone, Sinthe turned towards the three, pulling a small note pad out of her bag to write something down. Done, she ripped the paper out and handed it to Kurapika as she replaced the notepad and pen.

"This is my cell phone number and home code. I can't go with you, but please pass it on to Killua, too. If the four of you ever need anything, just call. Sometimes, a friendly Joelle is a great ally to have. Even if we are a rare breed." Sinthe told them.

"Thanks, Sinthe!" Gon told her.

"We'll keep in touch." Kurapika promised.

"I hope so. I'm always willing to help a friend, so call any time." Sinthe told them.

With that, she turned, waving to the four before heading off to where Hisoka was waiting for her. Hisoka peered past her to Gon, a grin curling his lips. Sinthe, though, merely gave the back of his shirt a hard enough tug to get Hisoka moving and force him to turn away from Gon. Only when they were completely out of sight of Gon did Hisoka fully focus on her.

"Going home, now?" he asked.

"No. Chrollo isn't home right now. I figure I would stick with you for a while. Can't be any more boring than sitting at home, alone." Sinthe replied, joking.

Hisoka chuckled. He had no problem with her tagging along with him. She always seemed to entertain him, so he liked having her around.

"So where are we going?" Sinthe asked.

Hisoka knew just the place to take her and the bonus was that he was sure, sooner or later, that Gon would show up too.

"I have the perfect place in mind." he remarked.

"When you say it like that, I have a bad feeling." Sinthe replied, casting a glance his way.

Hisoka merely smiled at her. What could he say? She was a suspicious sort when it came to him and he couldn't really blame her for that.

"You'll just have to wait and see." he told her.

Though Sinthe was concerned on what kind of place would be classified as perfect in Hisoka's mind, she was also curious. Which could be a dangerous thing. Curiosity killed the cat and all that mumbo-gumbo. But it could also be a good thing. She would just have to wait and see.

Hopefully, it was the latter.

END

Kyandi: I would be a little wary if Hisoka wanted to take me somewhere.

Sinthe: I am. You can never be too cautious around Hisoka.

Kyandi: Aside from that...I would love to tell off Illumi.

Sinthe: You mean you would love to have that kind of back bone.

Kyandi: That too.

Sinthe: He's not all that scary unless he's been hired to kill you.

Kyandi: Yeah...sure. Anyway, everyone, enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	7. Heaven's Arena

Kyandi: Hello everyone. Sorry it took so long, but I'm back!

Sinthe: She's been busy working on other stories.

Kyandi: But I have returned to this one.

Sinthe: Only because you couldn't find the spiral you wrote the next chapter of that other story in.

Kyandi: Well...yeah, but still. At least I finished this chapter.

Sinthe: She would of had it up sooner, but she accidentally deleted half the chapter and had to rewrite it.

Kyandi: It was a major pain.

Sinthe: Learn to save then.

Kyandi: I have. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Sinthe: Kyandi-sama does not own Hunter X Hunter.

Chapter 7 Heaven's Arena

"Yes! Next time...in York New City, on September first!"

This sentence was the goodbye Gon said to Leorio and Kurapika a month later, after they had finally managed to see Killua again. Now, Killua and Gon stood by, watching as Kurapika and Leorio went their separate ways, leaving to achieve their own goals. When the two were left alone, they begun discussing what they would do until September. In the end, they agreed that they needed two things: training and money. Both of which Killua knew where to get.

Heaven's Arena.

The building that made up the arena was two hundred and fifty-one floors high and played home to one of the largest fighting tournaments in the world. A fighter simply had to knock their opponent out of the ring to win their match and when they won, they would make it to the next floor. The higher a fighter went, the stronger the opponent. It also meant the bigger the money reward. It was perfect for them.

When they finally made it past signing in, which took forever due to a long line, they were directed to a general arena where they would compete with others to find out what floor they would start on. Entering the giant room, they found it packed full with all kinds of people.

"It's been a long time...nothing changed." Killua remarked, looking around.

"Huh? You've already been here?" Gon asked.

"Yes. When I was six, my father sent me here without asking me. He told me "you go to the two hundredth floor, and you come back". At that time, it took me two years." Killua replied. "If we have to fight someone like Hisoka, we won't be able to go and fight on the upper floors."

Gon had to agree. They needed to be cautious as they progressed. Just then, Gon's number was called, calling him to one of the several rings set up.

"Ah! That's me! Here I am! I'm nervous!" Gon said.

"Gon. You pass the test of the door, didn't you?" Killua asked, Gon nodding in confirmation. "In that case, you only have to..."

Killua lowered his voice, whispering into Gon's ear. Gon nodded, leaving his friend in the stands and reported to the ring. There, he was matched up with a large fellow that was easily three or four times his size. The man made sure to tell him that if he didn't want to die, than he needed to back out. All the while, people in the stands jeered and laughed.

"We're on the ring of the first floor, we evaluate the level of the candidates. There's a time limit! You have three minutes to show what you're able to do." the ref said before calling the start of the match.

In the end, all it took was one single push from Gon to send the large man rocketing out of the ring. It shocked everyone but Killua and instantly earned Gon a spot on the fiftieth floor. Killua's match was called next and ended with him ending the match quickly with a single chop. The ref, after seeing that Killua had been there before and had made it to the two hundredth floor, tried to send him to the one hundred and eightieth floor, but Killua insisted on the fiftieth floor, same as Gon.

Just as Killua was going to meet up with Gon, he caught sight of another young boy who easily laid out his opponent despite the man being older and bigger. He was also sent to the fiftieth floor. Killua spared him a glance before going to join Gon. A staff member took over escorting them along with a group of people that had made it to the fiftieth floor. She lead them all to an elevator, jabbing the button for the fiftieth floor.

"This way, please. As far as the two hundredth floor, this building is divided into groups of ten floors. In other words, only one victory is enough for a fighter of the fiftieth floor to go to the sixtieth. Oppositely, the losers go back to the fortieth." she explained.

"If we pass the one hundredth floor, we can use a special individual room." Killua whispered to Gon.

Feeling like someone was watching them, the two of them turned. Towards the back of the group in the elevator, was the other boy who had made it directly to the fiftieth floor. He was watching the two of them intently. When they stepped off the elevator, the boy introduced himself as Zushi.

"I had the honor to see your matches. You're great!" Zushi told them as the three of them walked down the crowded hall.

"What are you talking about? You only needed one fight to come here too." Killua replied.

"That's true. You're like us." Gon agreed.

"Oh, no! Not yet, not yet. Tell me, from which dojo do you come? Personally,I come from the Kung-Fu Shingen Dojo!" Zushi said.

"Hmm...we don't really have one." Killua admitted.

"What!? To be able to reach such a level without being guided...that's a real shock for me." Zushi said. "I still have to work a lot."

Someone called out to Zushi just then, making the three boys turn. Walking towards him, one side of his button down shirt remaining untucked and his hair a mess, was a young man. He smiled as he approached Zushi.

"Master!" Zushi greeted.

"You followed my teaching well." the man told Zushi.

"That's an honor. Master, your shirt is..."

Gon and Killua watched as the man rushed to fully tuck in his shirt. Once it was fully tucked, he turned back to his student asking as to who Gon and Killua was.

"And at your sides?"

"Ah, they are Killua and Gon." Zushi said, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Wing." the man said, introducing himself. "I never thought I would see other kids like Zushi. Why are you here?"

"Well...to become stronger, but we're out of money and we wanted to earn some." Killua replied.

"Killua has already participated." Gon added.

"Ah...if you came this far, then you must be strong. Then you should take care of yourself and also of your adversaries." Wing advised them, before leaving them to go collect their earnings from their fights.

When they got their earnings, they found that each of them had only earned one hundred and fifty-two jeni, which was the price of a drink from the vending machine.

"On the first floor, if you win or if you lose, you still receive the prize of a drink." Killua explained as they went to buy drinks. "But from now on, if we lose, we earn nothing! On the fiftieth floor, victory gives you fifty thousand jenis."

"Fifty thousand?" Gon asked casually while Zushi couldn't believe his ears.

"And at the one hundredth floor, about one million." Killua added, to both Gon and Zushi's surprise. "If we pass the one hundred and fiftieth level, the reward is over ten million."

"Killua, you've already gone to the two hundredth floor, haven't you?" Gon asked, Zushi repeating "two hundredth" in shock.

"It was about four years ago, and I don't have money anymore. It helped me buy cake for four years." Killua replied.

"And how much do you earn at the two hundredth floor?" Gon asked.

"Hmm...to tell the truth, I quit just before the two hundredth floor, so I don't really know, but at the one hundred and ninetieth floor, I received about two hundred million jenis." Killua replied.

How he had gone through that much money on four years worth of cake, was beyond Gon and Zushi. They both had to wonder on just what kind of cake it had been.

"How about we hurry up a bit? Since we weren't injured in the first match, they'll plan another match for us today for sure." Killua warned them.

Nodding in agreement, Gon and Zushi allowed Killua to lead the way. They found themselves in a room filled with other participants, several of the others turning to look at the three as they passed. The three found a bench to sit on, Killua and Gon both relaxed, though at different levels, and Zushi nervous. Killua looked around at the others in the room, a grin on his face.

"Ahh! If on this floor, our adversaries are among them, it'll be an easy victory. No need to feel stressed." Killua announced, a little too loudly.

It had several of those closest to them, turning glares on them. While Zushi sat there sweating in nervousness, Gon and Killua both seemed to be just fine. They sat there and waited until Killua was called...to fight against Zushi. Killua, despite somewhat liking the other boy, was sure this win was an easy win in the bag.

Though that wasn't how it played out.

A long while after Killua and Zushi had been called, Gon waited on the sixtieth floor for Killua, bored. When Killua finally showed up, Gon popped to his feet and rushed over to his friend with a smile on his face.

"Over here, Killua!" Gon called as he hurried over to Killua. "Look! I received sixty thousand jenis. Finally, it took you a while."

"I've got some problems." Killua replied.

"Was he strong?" Gon asked.

"No, not at all. He's talented, he'll become strong, but in my opinion, he still lacks too much, and his punches are too slow. I could hit him as much as I wanted. Despite this, I couldn't crush him. Plus...when he changed his guard, I got the same impression as if I were fighting my brother." Killua told him. "I can't really say what, but there was something bad. There's a particular technique under this. His master talked about "ren"."

Up ahead and around the corner, a familiar voice reached their ears. The two rounded the corner, finding Zushi, forehead to the floor, apologizing to Wing.

"Forgive me, Master!" Zushi pleaded.

"I had told you never the less, Zushi, don't use the "ren" yet." Wing told him.

"I'm so sorry! He was so strong, I couldn't tell what was happening to me and..."

Zushi trailed off, never once looking up at his master. Wing dropped to a knee beside his pupil.

"I know. Wanting isn't a bad thing. But your goal is far away from that, isn't it? The top of the tower...the one who is obsessed by the idea of winning reduces his own abilities." Wing told him.

"Yes!"

"Here, you must be prepared to lose one thousand times." Wing added, Zushi agreeing.

Killua and Gon watched as the two walked away. When they were gone, they turned to each other, questioning the conversation they had just heard.

"Gon...I'm gonna change my plans. I want to reach the top!" Killua declared.

Gon agreed, though, if truth be told, Gon had been aiming for the top from the very beginning, but it was nice to have Killua on the same page. Unknown to the two, a figure watched them from the shadows, a grin curling the lips of a face hidden by a hood. As the two boys walked away, cheerfully talking, the figure was sure of one thing.

Things were going to be interesting over the next few days.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next three days, Killua and Gon blew through their matches, each racking up six consecutive wins. Before they knew it, they had reached a high enough level that each was rewarded with their own room in the tower. While it meant that they didn't have to worry about money or a place to stay, the rooms came with a price: if they lost, they had to give up their rooms.

A reasonable price since neither planned to lose.

That being said, because of the perks one gained once they reached the one hundredth floor, the fighting tended to be on a completely different level then it was on the previous floors. After all, no one wanted to give up the perks they had gained.

Though Killua learned pretty quickly that he didn't have to worry about Gon letting his guard down.

"Really...I've never seen that many numbers before."

Gon walked along side Killua, staring down at the bank receipt in his hand that showed the amount currently in his account. He had never seen so much money in one place and could hardly believe that this was his account.

"If we just remember that one week ago, we were out of money..." Killua muttered. "But I'm kinda surprised."

"Huh?" Gon turned towards Killua, questioning him.

"The first time I came here, it took me two weeks to reach the one hundredth and fiftieth floor." Killua told him.

"Yeah, but you were only six." Gon replied. Killua had to agree to some extent, but he wasn't normal. "By the way, I saw Zushi on TV a while ago."

"Me too. He was still on the fiftieth floor." Killua replied.

"You know, the thing you talked about...the "ren"...I wish I knew what it could be." Gon remarked.

"Yeah...If we go higher, we'll surely meet some other guys like him and-"

"Wouldn't it be faster if we ask Zushi?" Gon finished.

With the two on the same level, they went in search of Zushi to ask him to tell them what he knew. The boy wasn't hard for them to find and was more than happy to tell them what he knew about ren.

"'Ren' is one of the four principles of the big training. The four principles of the training are the basis of every fighting technique relying on spirit elevation, and it's hardening. Finding the "ten", learning the "zetsu", succeeding the "ren", and reaching the "hatsu". And all these form the "nen" practice!" Zushi explained. "That's all."

And it went right over their heads.

"I didn't understand anything!" Killua complained.

"Zushi!" Zushi jumped as Wing appeared behind him. "Since when have you become strong enough to teach others what I have taught you?"

Zushi was sure that he was in trouble and broke out into a sweat. Wing spared his pupil a glance before he turned to face Gon and Killua with a smile.

"Gon, Killua, there's an old saying, "We understand even less of things when we have half of the information than when we don't have any."-" Wing started.

"'Nothing is more dangerous than half-knowledge', is that it? But I want to know!" Killua replied, finishing the quote. "Because there's a relation between this and my brother's secret!"

"You mean your brother uses nen?" Wing asked.

"Yes. Would you mind teaching it to me now? Anyways, if you don't want to, I'll just discover it by myself. But I won't be content with half-knowledge. I want to understand everything. If you accept and teach me, I won't misuse it." Killua promised.

Wing stared at him for a moment before he spoke.

"It's okay...come to my flat."

The four relocated to the flat that Wing had near the tower. Once there, Wing jumped into explaining to Gon and Killua what nen was.

"What we call "nen" has the meaning of "inflaming his spirit". We can rename it with the strength of the will. The four most important principles are practices aimed to increase the will. With "nen" which means "the point", we concentrate our spirit on one thing, we also think about ourselves, and we choose our objective. With zetsu that can be translated to "language", the thought becomes a word. Ren, the finishing, enlarges the will and then hatsu, the projection, allows thought to change into motion. The ren that Zushi used corresponded to the thought "I won't lose". But nothing is better than practice. Killua," Wing turned his attention to Killua, smiling as he did so. "I think I'm going to kill you. Do you mind?"

As odd of a question as it was, Killua only paused for a brief moment before he responded to Wing's honest question.

"No, no. Anyways, you shouldn't be able to." Killua told him.

"Let's proceed in order. Ten," Wing took his position, focusing his mind. "Zetsu. You can say the words in your head or speak aloud. Either way works. I'm gonna kill you."

Wing focused in on Killua who was watching him with a mix of curiousness and anxiousness to see what would happen. At first, nothing changed, and then Wing's eyes widened and a sudden, heavy feeling fell over Killua, kicking his Flight or Fight response into over drive. Without thinking, his body took over and, in a flash, Killua was gone from his spot.

"That was the ren. If the ren(will) is powerful, the hatsu(motion) is too. "Express your superiority with the cry, and without movement, you'll make your enemy move back." By extension, we also call it a "bluff"." Wing said, glancing out of the side of his eye as Killua, who was clinging to a corner of the ceiling as if he had suction cups attached to his hands. "After some time, the ren becomes stubborn, and we lose the ability of discerning good and bad things. That's why if the spirit isn't ready, it's more reasonable to wait. You, as much as Zushi, are in an apprenticeship phase and formation of the spirit. If you want to learn nen, you must first be dedicated in ten."

Killua continued to cling to the ceiling as Wing walked over to a chair. Taking a seat, he crossed his legs and folded his hands over the top knee. As he continued talking Killua finally dropped back down to the floor below.

"When you've mastered ten, you won't be repelled by the psychic aura of your opponent." Wing told them.

After explaining all of this to Gon and Killua, Wing set the two on their way. While what he taught them was interesting, Killua knew something was up and he said as much to Gon.

"He lied?" Gon asked when Killua voiced his thoughts.

"Yes. He didn't tell us everything. I think the force deployed by Wing was real, but there's something I can't explain. Zushi's endurance. During the fight, I could put him on the floor, but he stood up each time. I began putting will into my hits and finally, I really hit him." Killua told Gon, explaining how, even after hitting Zushi for real, the kid got back up. "To be able to do something like that, you need more than will. No doubt about it, there's another secret!"

And he was determined to figure it out.

-0-0-0-0-

The time for Killua and Gon to find out exactly what nen was, came sooner than they thought.

Soon, both Killua and Gon made it to the two hundredth floor.

"What are we gonna find at the two hundredth floor?" Gon asked.

"This...I don't know either. I've never been there." Killua replied.

When the elevator the two were currently in, reached the two hundredth floor, they got off, following the signs on their way to the sign in desk. The two froze though, a few halls short of the sign-in desk. Standing at the beginning of hall, the two stopped. The heavy, dangerous feeling was back once more. Try as they might to advance, they couldn't make their bodies move. It was like all the murderous intent in the world had been concentrated in that one hallway.

Killua called out, demanding that whoever it was reveal themselves. Instead of some big and bad guy appearing, a female employee of the tower stepped into the open. She directed them to the sign-in desk and informed them that they had until midnight to register or they couldn't continue and would have to start all over again. She continued, telling them that weapons were allowed and that from that floor on, they wouldn't be given rewards anymore. Instead, the fights were for honor, so to speak.

Gon and Killua weren't really paying attention. Instead, their eyes went past the woman as someone they knew appeared at the other end of the hall.

"Hisoka!?"

Hisoka grinned back at them as he stood at the end of the hall, blocking their forward advancement.

"What are you doing here?" Gon asked.

"Why so surprised? I love fights, and this is the capital of fights. I should be the one asking you, shouldn't I?" Hisoka replied. "It's not just a coincidence, I was waiting for you. You obtained your flying tickets thanks to the electronic network, didn't you? With some manipulation, it's easy to find where, when, and how someone moves. Next, I used a private plane and arrived before you at the airport, where I followed you. I was thinking you would come here."

"And who was the one that obtained the information on the tickets for you, Hisoka?"

Gon and Killua's eyes widened slightly in surprise as someone stepped up beside Hisoka. Hisoka grinned back at the person that now stood next to him, hands on hips.

"Of course it was you...Sinthe." Hisoka replied.

"Sinthe!?"

Sinthe, her hood down, turned to look at Gon and Killua. She smiled as her mismatched eyes landed on the two.

"Gon, Killua. Good to see you again." she greeted.

"You came here with him!?" Killua asked, gesturing to Hisoka.

"Kind of had to. This was the more favorable of my two choices for the time being." Sinthe told them. "I see you two managed to make it all the way up here, huh?"

"Yes, they did." Hisoka said happily. "And as an elder, I'm gonna teach them something. Its still to soon for you to walk on the ground of this floor."

Hisoka held up a hand, flapping it at them in a "go away" fashion. Something unseeable to the untrained eye, flew past the female employee standing between them, causing her hat to fly off. It hit Killua and Gon hard enough to make them slide back a few steps. Grinning, Hisoka claimed a seat on the floor, back against the wall at the end of the hall.

"As for the size of the pit you have to cross, it only depends on you." Hisoka told Gon and Killua. "Come back another time. But now, it's too soon."

"Are you kidding!? We've made it to here..."

Killua cut off as Hisoka raised a hand. It was just a simple, small gesture, but it put both boys on guard.

"You won't pass. Actually, you can't pass." Hisoka told them.

The heavy pressure that Killua and Gon felt, increased, making them feel like they were drowning under it. They were both ready to fight it, though.

"Sinthe!"

Killua turned his attention to Sinthe, trying to get her help in this. Sinthe, though, simply shook her head.

"I'm with him on this one, Killua. Think what you may, but he's actually being nice, right now." Sinthe told him.

"Aren't I usually?" Hisoka asked her.

"No, no you aren't."

Hisoka grinned up at Sinthe, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes had focused in on something behind Killua and Gon.

"Don't insist." The suddenly speaking voice had Gon and Killua turning on the spot. Standing behind them, was Wing, his face serious. "In front of his nen, you have almost no defense. Especially since she's adding her own into the mix."

Killua and Gon turned their eyes back to Sinthe who spread her hands in a "what can you do" fashion. She wasn't going to deny that she was making it difficult for them to press forwards as well.

"Believe me, I'm just thinking of your best interest." she remarked.

Before Killua could say anything back to her, Wing spoke up once more.

"You're like someone in the ice flow who asks himself why he is so cold. If you make your body and spirit endure any more than this, you'll inevitably die." Wing told the two boys.

"You're saying it's some "nen", aren't you!? That they only have to think "You won't pass" and the result is that!? Liar!" Killua snapped.

"Well, I admit I lied." was Wing's simple reply. "I'm going to explain the real "nen" to you. But, let's start by leaving this place."

Gon glanced at the clock. At the moment, it was twenty minutes after eight, leaving less than four hours before their deadline to register. He turned to the tower employee who was still standing by, watching the confrontation.

"If today we could not register, what would happen?" Gon asked.

"You, Gon, would have to restart from the first floor. But..."

"But?" Gon asked when she trailed off.

"Killua has already refused the registration once. To do so again would be considered an opposition of the registration and registering again would become impossible for him." the woman explained.

Which meant that Killua would not be able to continue on or stay.

"Whatever, we shouldn't stay here." Killua remarked before turning to Wing. "Will we be back by midnight...here?"

"It only depends on you." Wing replied.

Sharing a look of determination, Gon and Killua agreed. They would go with Wing, learn what they could, and would make it back in time. Killua threw Sinthe one last look, the girl giving him an apologetic look. She knew he wasn't happy with her when he simply spun on his heels and vanished off down the hall with Wing and Gon.

"Oh, he's definitely not happy with me." she remarked, turning to look down at Hisoka. "You going to remain here?"

"Yes." Hisoka replied, eyes fixed on the hall before him.

"Alright then."

Hisoka looked up at her as she turned and started off down the hall. Leaning back, a grin on his face, he called out to her.

"You aren't going to keep me company?" he asked.

Sinthe turned so that she was walking backwards, facing him while still in retreat.

"I know how you get when you're bored or waiting on something, so...no. I'm going back to my room." Sinthe said, turning to face forward once more. "I'll know when they step foot on this floor again."

With a wave over her shoulder, Sinthe vanished off down the hall. Hisoka chuckled to himself, turning back to face the hall, pulling out his cards once more. He remained there a few hours until Gon and Killua appeared at the end of the hall once more. Hisoka instantly increased his presence once more, to see if they could get past it this time.

Without hesitation and without a single break in their stride, they made it past the invisible barrier and to the end of the hall. Something Hisoka was extremely happy about.

"Welcome to the class of the two hundredth floor. It seems you'll be able to pass without undergoing a baptism." Hisoka said. "I can imagine that which brought you to the Celestial Tower. Your intention was to confront me after training here, wasn't it?"

"The only thing I couldn't have expected was to see you here. It makes it easier for me to win something." Gon replied.

"You've become quite confident since you acquired nen. The nen is quite deep." Hisoka said, raising two fingers, making his aura form first a spade and then a skull. Getting to his feet, he let the skull linger for a moment. "To speak openly, as you are now, I don't want to fight against you. But come out victorious from only one fight in this group...and I'll be your man."

With that, Hisoka walked away, vanishing into the shadows down the hall. Taking his place where three men. One was in a wheelchair, another had a peg leg in place of his legs, and the third was missing an arm. Putting the three at the back of their minds, Gon and Killua made their way to the registration window to register. After having the fighting system explained to them as well as the fact that, from there on out, they wouldn't be winning cash prizes, Gon and Killua found their interest waning.

"What are we gonna do? Now that I know the secret of the last floor, I'm not interested anymore." Killua said.

"Neither am I. If I can confront Hisoka, that's enough for me." Gon agreed.

"You first have to win once." Killua said, the two ignoring the woman working registration as she got annoyed with their lack of interest. "You're gonna wait a little while, aren't you?"

"No. I want to know what the difference in comparison with our previous matches is, because actually-"

Gon cut off when the two became painfully aware of the three men they saw earlier, crowded around them. They just stood there, watching the two.

"A problem?" Killua asked.

"No, no. We also want to fill out a form, so we're queuing." the one missing an arm said.

Killua watched the three as Gon picked up his paper to choose a day.

"I think they want me to choose the same day as you." Killua told Gon lowly.

Gon glanced over his shoulder at the three before finishing his form and handing it over to the woman.

"For me, the day doesn't matter." he told her.

"Here is a self-assured boy." the one missing an arm said, taking his form.

"And here is someone blocking my way."

All three men whipped around, instantly moving to either side when they found Sinthe standing behind them. Her hood was up, but was only sitting on the back half of her head so that it still cast shadows on her face, but not enough to hide the mismatched colors of her eyes. If anything, the way the shadows fell on her face, made her eyes appear just that more eerie looking. When those eyes traveled over the three men, they flinched back further. She stared at them for a moment before turning her eyes to Gon and Killua, a smile curling her lips.

"Hey, Gon, Killua. I see the two of you finally made it past Hisoka. I knew you could do it." she remarked.

"You know, if you were here the whole time, you could have warned us ahead of time." Killua scolded her.

"Sorry, I kind of couldn't. It's an unspoken law up here." she told him.

Scoffing, Killua turned to take his key to his room, Gon taking his as well. With their keys in hand, Sinthe fell into step with them, casting the three men one last look before they headed off down the hall.

"What room numbers?" she asked.

"2207 for me." Gon said.

"2223." Killua added.

"Oh, I'm smack in the middle of you two, then. 2215." Sinthe replied.

"Hey, Sinthe, have you been here since the end of the exam?" Gon asked suddenly.

"Hmm? Pretty much, yes." she replied.

"I thought you were going to go home to your brother." Killua retorted.

"He's off doing his own thing again. I'm just hanging out with Hisoka until he gets back to me." Sinthe told them. "A place like this seemed like a good way to kill time. Though you have to watch out for guys like the three that were watching you register."

"Them, huh? You can be sure they've been hazed." Killua said. "You think that if we had come here without knowing anything, we would have met the same fate?"

"Oh, be sure of it." Killua and Gon looked up at Sinthe, but the girl had spotted her room. She walked up to the door, pulling a key from her pocket, but stopped to turn and look at them. "Don't get me wrong, you two are strong, but nen isn't something to mess around with if you don't know how to defend yourself. Like I said...Hisoka was being nice."

"How long have you had nen?" Killua asked.

"My brother taught me when I was little." she answered.

"So you already knew about nen when you went for the exam." Gon stated.

"Yes. And I also knew how things were here. I honestly was just looking out for your best interest." Sinthe told them, giving them a smile. "Anyway, I fought today so I'm going to relax now. Let me know when your match is, Gon. I'll come and watch."

"Alright." Gon agreed.

Sinthe called a goodnight to the two before disappearing into her room. While the two now knew a little of what to expect from the two hundredth floor, Sinthe knew there was more they didn't know just yet.

She just hoped it didn't end badly for Gon when he was put face to face with it in his first match.

END

Kyandi: Again, I'm sorry it took so long, I'm honestly trying to get back into the swing of things.

Sinthe: She's just trying to adjust.

Kyandi: Right. And for those of you who are going to be in the Dallas area in the next fifteen days, I am going to be at AnimeFest in Dallas this year!

Sinthe: If any of you want to swing by and say hi, Kyandi-sama will have a little present for you.

Kyandi: Right. Just look for the woman with blue-green in her hair and Kyandi-sama written on the back of her shirt.

Sinthe: Until then, we have more chapters to attend to, right?

Kyandi: Right. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Sinthe: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


End file.
